Bumping Into You
by Ultraboy181
Summary: Sometimes on the road of life two people can come together over and over again until they finally reach their destination. Emma has loved Regina since she was a little girl but will life ever allow her to tell her how she feels? This is a non magical AU.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello again! I've been working on an original writing project since I finished my last Swanqueen story. It's been going great and maybe one day I'll share it with you guys. But while I was writing that one, the idea for this Emma and Regina story popped into my head. So I started this and I thought it was going to be just a one shot, but as I started to write it just keeps going! So here's the deal, I have an ending for this story however I don't know if I will get to it quickly or will I keep adding stuff. There might be longer breaks in between chapters because my other project will be taking priority over this one. But I will update regularly, you guys know me, it won't be my usual one or two days but it will at the very least be weekly. (Probably more frequently than weekly though.) In the meantime I hope you enjoy this! Tell me what you think!**

Emma Swan cried to her mommy over her ruined sand castle. "She knocked over my castle Mommy!" Mary Margaret wrapped her little four year old girl in her arms and pulled her onto the bench and in her lap.

"I'm sure it was an accident Emma." Mary Margaret stroked her daughter's long blonde hair as she tried to calm the little girl.

"It wasn't! She is a mean girl!" Emma pointed across the playground to the taller brunette girl standing with a scowl and her arms crossed. Emma's face mirrored the scowl on the other girl's face and her green eyes blazed.

Mary Margaret watched as a woman that she assumed was the other little girl's mother, stride over to the brunette child. The woman grabbed her daughter's arm, rather roughly in Mary Margaret's opinion, and dragged her over to the bench where she was seated. The woman was angrily whispering to her daughter when she stopped in front of Mary Margaret. The older woman straightened her clothes and adopted an almost regal posture.

"Hello, my name is Cora Mills and this is my daughter Regina." The woman said as she extended her hand to Mary Margaret. The younger woman stood and took Cora's hand and smiled, but while Mary Margaret's was genuine she could tell the older woman's was not.

"Hi. I'm Mary Margaret Nolan and this little girl is my daughter, Emma Swan Nolan." Mary Margaret put Emma down so she could stand on her own. Mary Margaret's face scrunched up. "Wait, are you _the_ Cora Mills? Mayor Henry's wife?"

Cora's face softened slightly. "Why yes dear, I am. But at the moment I seem to be the Cora Mills that is the mother of a very rude child." She gave Regina an angry frown. Mary Margaret noticed that the little brown haired girl looked positively frightened from her mother's glare. The younger mother frowned, not approving of the interaction. "Regina. Apologize to this little girl for being so rude and disrespectful. I did not raise you to behave like that."

The little girl turned her eyes to the ground and started to twist slowly. "I'm sorry." Her voice was almost a whisper and Mary Margaret had to strain to hear it over the background noise of the playground.

Cora continued to scowl at her daughter. "Say I'm sorry _Emma._ " She corrected Regina sternly.

Regina raised her head and stared into Emma's eyes and there seemed to be a fire inside the mayor's daughter's brown orbs. "I'm sorry Em-ma." She drew out the syllables of Emma's name slowly.

Regina's mother seemed satisfied and took a deep breath and placed a practiced smile on her face as she returned her attention to Mary Margaret's face. "Well, once again please accept my apology for this embarrassment. Good day."

Before Mary Margaret could say anything in response Cora spun on her heels and marched away with Regina in tow. Emma watched them go while placing her thumb in her mouth for comfort. She watched as the little brown haired girl turned around and looked at her. Emma's young mind could recognize the sadness in the little girl's face and she broke free from her mother's hand and ran to her.

"Emma! Come back here!" Mary Margaret called after her but the little girl sped away with her short legs and quickly caught up to Regina. Cora stopped walking and turned with a curious look at Emma. Emma wrapped her arms around Regina and hugged her tightly, just like she did with her stuffed swan at home. Regina was startled and stiffened at first but then relaxed as she patted the little blonde on the back.

"I'm sorry. You'll be okay Regina." Emma said it so quietly that Regina was the only one that heard the small girl's words. She felt safe and comforted for the first time in her seven years of life and had to hold back her tears.

Before Regina could respond the little girl was pulled away by her mother and Regina felt a loss inside. "Sorry about that." Mary Margaret smiled at Cora as she picked Emma up. Cora simply nodded and continued on her way, dragging Regina by the arm. As they left the park, Regina thought about the little blonde girl and what she said.

Regina would remember those words as long as she lived.

 **Nine years later**

Storybrooke High School was even larger to the new freshman Emma Swan Nolan than she had imagined. She gulped as she entered her new school with her friend Ruby Lucas and a few hundred other students.

"Oh my God Emma!" Her exuberant best friend was brimming with excitement. "We're in high school girl! Can you believe it?".

Emma tried to summon enough enthusiasm to match the leggy brunette, but the smile she attempted looked more like a grimace. "Yeah, it's great." Her words came out flat.

Ruby was dragging her down the hallways in search of their lockers. "Oh come on Emma, stop being such a Debbie Downer! This is high school! Do you know what that means?" She flashed a toothy grin and her eyes darkened while Emma just shook her head. "It means high school guys!". Ruby squealed with delight as Emma rolled her eyes. Ruby had always been boy crazy and puberty had just made it worse. Emma on the other hand had never given any guy a second look, she just wasn't interested. Now that she was getting older and supposedly becoming a woman she was becoming more confused by her feelings.

Emma was deep in thought and not looking where she was going when she suddenly bumped into someone and knocked their books to the floor. "Hey! Watch out freshman!" A female voice exclaimed and Emma began to pick up the dropped books.

"Sorry! Sorry! I wasn't looking." She scooped the books up and held them out in front of her, looking at the person for the first time. As her green eyes looked up through her glasses her mouth hung open.

"Obviously." The other girl replied. Emma looked into cocoa colored eyes that made her heart skip a beat. She was entranced by the thick brown hair that hung beautifully around an absolutely gorgeous jawline and beautifully shaped eyebrows with one raised slightly higher than the other almost haughtily. The nicest set of lips were smirking at her, they were painted red and the upper lip had a small scar on the right side. It was so striking and unique it seemed to accent the other girl's face like an artist's signature. That was fitting because the face that Emma was staring at was a work of art, at least it was in her eyes.

"See something you like? You should take a picture it'll last longer." The other girl said in a low voice that caused Emma's mouth to go dry. Those red lips pulled into a smirk that seemed to burn itself into her brain, allowing Emma to memorize it instantly. The other girl reached out and took her books from Emma's outstretched arms and walked away. Emma just stood rooted to the ground and staring out into space.

"Earth to Emma?" Ruby waved her hand in front of Emma causing the blonde to blink rapidly and snap back to reality. "Did you get a concussion or something?" Ruby stepped into Emma's line of sight making her focus on her grinning best friend.

"Uh yeah Rubes, I'm fine. Just a little nervous that's all." Emma muttered as she slid her glasses up her face.

"Or maybe you're just shaken up from almost killing the mayor's daughter." Ruby chuckled.

Emma's eyes went wide. "The mayor?"

"Yeah Emma, that was Regina Mills."

 **A few months later**

Emma sat in the darkened school auditorium next to Ruby waiting for the school play to begin. Emma's mother sat next to her but her father, David Nolan the town sheriff, was absent due to his job. Ruby was accompanied by her grandmother, and the two were bickering in hushed whispers over something silly as per usual. They always argued about something, from the way Ruby dressed or her grandmother's strict rules. The fights never lasted long or grew too serious, they loved each other despite their disagreements.

Emma Swan Nolan felt nervous. Regina was starring as Juliet in the school production of Shakespeare's play. Regina was the most talented actress in the school and everyone knew it. She was a natural and everyone believed that one day she would be a star. To Emma however she was already a star. Ever since she bumped into her on the first day of school Emma had become infatuated with Regina Mills. She followed the senior around everywhere but could never work up the courage to talk to her. Emma would often find herself staring at Regina either in the halls or across the school lunchroom. Occasionally Emma would get caught staring by the popular brunette. Emma would always turn beet red when Regina's eyes would meet hers. The blonde freshman would always turn away quickly, but sometimes she could swear that Regina would smile at her when she caught her.

At first she was confused by her feelings. Emma had never felt the kind of emotions she did when she thought of Regina. Her breath would catch in her throat whenever she caught a glimpse of the senior beauty. She would get butterflies in her stomach when she heard Regina's deep sultry voice while eavesdropping on her conversations with others. At night she would lie in bed and imagine what it would be like to hold Regina in her arms. She wondered what her thin lips would feel like pressed onto those beautiful red lips. Her crush began to grow in strength over time and Emma came to realize one day that she had started to fall in love with Regina Mills.

The curtain drew back on the stage and the play began. Emma wasn't paying attention to the play, she barely heard the other actors. She was focused only on Regina. Whenever she was onstage Emma was enraptured by her and the rest of the world faded away. The spotlight made Regina look like an angel to her and she felt her heart swelling inside her chest. She found herself wishing that she had the courage to talk to her. Maybe even tell her how she felt. But she knew that she could never be brave enough for that, she hadn't even told Ruby about it yet.

Before Emma knew it the audience was clapping and the cast was bowing on the stage. The play was over and Emma couldn't remember anything about it besides Regina. She clapped harder and louder than anyone else in the audience when Regina took her solo bow. Emma even believed that Regina looked directly at her and winked. But Emma pushed it out of her mind thinking she had just imagined it. Everyone was cheering for Regina. Everyone except for one person Emma noticed, Cora Mills.

"Should we get going?" Mary Margaret asked her daughter as the audience began to file out of the auditorium. Emma panicked, she wanted to catch just one more glimpse of Regina before she left. Maybe she would even compliment her performance. The mere thought of talking to her made her mouth go dry and she had to cough before she answered her mother.

"I need to grab something out of my locker. I'll meet you out front." Emma stuttered out and hurried away. She did catch Ruby giving her a smirk as she left and Emma wondered what that was all about.

She made her way quickly backstage without anyone seeing her. Just as she had hoped, Regina was still there, but she was talking with her mother, and by the looks of it the conversation was growing very heated.

"You will not embarrass this family any longer with this nonsense Regina." Cora was saying in a cold and menacing tone. Regina was standing with her arms stiff at her side and her hands curled in a fist.

"It is not nonsense mother! I love acting and I'm very good at it! I don't see why you can't just support me!" Regina snapped back bitterly.

"I will not allow you to ruin your life this way. I am your mother and you will cease this ridiculous notion of yours and concentrate on your studies! One day you will be mayor and follow in the footsteps of your father and I."

Regina's face flushed and Emma could see tears start to build in those lovely brown eyes. "If daddy was still alive he would support me! He would love me no matter what I wanted to be! I wish _you_ had died in that car accident and not him!"

Emma gasped when she heard the sound of the slap Cora had delivered to her daughter's face. Emma's hands curled into fists and she wanted to run over and defend Regina. The object of her affection was now holding her cheek that was rapidly turning red. Tears rolled freely down Regina's cheeks as she glared at her mother. "You will never speak to me with such disrespect again." Cora turned and began to leave, she stopped after a few steps and turned to face her daughter again. "You can walk home." She then walked away from her daughter leaving Regina alone. Emma watched as Regina slowly began to shake and sob. Emma couldn't stand to see her hurting like that and ran over to her and quickly wrapped the other girl in her arms.

"I'm sorry. You'll be okay Regina." Emma said softly into Regina's hair as she softly stroked her back attempting to calm her. At first Regina had stiffened from the contact but then she seemed to melt into Emma's embrace. She held on tight as the tears fell. Emma continued to hold Regina there in the dim light of the backstage area until Regina finished crying. They slowly broke away and Regina's red puffy eyes met Emma's watery green eyes.

"Thank you." Regina said softly and Emma felt her heart breaking over the pain she was sure the other girl was feeling. "I'm sorry you had to see that. I'm so embarrassed." Regina looked away.

"Don't be." Emma took Regina's chin in her hand and gently guided her back until they were looking into each other's eyes again. They stayed that way for a while, silent and still.

"There you are blondie!" Emma and Regina jumped and separated as they heard Ruby's voice. Emma glared at her best friend and Ruby returned the glare with another smirk. Regina was looking down at the floor, moving her hands nervously up and down her legs, missing the wordless conversation the two friends seemed to be having with their eyes. "Your mother asked me to come get you, she's ready to go."

"Thanks Ruby." Emma said through gritted teeth. She then turned back to Regina and her face softened. "Do you want a ride? My mother won't mind."

Regina looked up in confusion for a moment and then she smiled softly. "I would. Thank you… Emma."

Emma's eyes widened in surprise, she couldn't believe that Regina Mills knew her name! Her cheeks reddened as she stuck her hands into her back pockets and rocked on the heels of her Chuck Taylor shoes. "I hope you don't mind my mother though, she's probably going to gush about how great she thought you were tonight." Regina chuckled as she wiped her eyes and the sound filled Emma with warmth and pride. She would love to be the one to make Regina laugh like that all the time.

"I'm sure my ego can take it." Regina assured her with a grin that made Emma's knees weak.

"Let's go already." Ruby whined and started to leave. Emma scowled at her friend's back but she fell into step behind her and Regina walked alongside. Before they reached the outside Emma cleared her throat and Regina turned to her waiting for her to speak.

"You were you know? Great I mean." Emma tried to talk but her tongue seemed to be twisted in knots. "I mean in the play tonight. You were great." She finished with a long and nervous exhale.

Regina's smiled and her eyes seemed to shine. "Thank you Emma."

Without thinking about it Emma opened the back door to her mother's car for Regina and let her climb in first. She was about to go in when she caught Ruby looking at her across the roof of the car. Her best friend was grinning at her and raised her eyebrows suggestively. Emma rolled her eyes in response and got inside.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Okay guys, I know I said that this was a one shot. I then said maybe it might be a tad bit longer than that. Well, here's the thing. I'm starting to fall in love with this story! I'm enjoying writing this and I'm starting to think about more stuff that I'm going to put into it. So here's the deal, I know that this is rated M. But as long as Emma is underage there won't be any sex. I don't write that kind of stuff. However when she turns 18 all bets are off! LOL! The thing is, I'm not exactly sure when that's going to be. I promise it'll come but I'm just not sure when. I hope you understand and stick with this story. Thanks for the comments! I'm still working on my personal project while I'm writing this one, but this story is gaining my interest so I might be updating faster than I originally thought.**

After the night of the play, things began to change between Emma and Regina, and it thrilled Emma to no end. As Emma had predicted, Mary Margaret had nearly drowned Regina in compliments on the ride home. Emma thought the senior was going to create brand new shades of red with how much she blushed in the backseat. She tried to apologize silently to the older girl by mouthing 'sorry'. Regina responded with a shrug and a grin, a grin that sent butterflies loose in Emma's stomach.

When they reached the Mayoral Mansion Regina had thanked Mary Margaret for the ride. Right before she shut the car door behind her, Regina reached out and touched Emma's shoulder. Emma's eyes locked onto Regina's hand and her whole body seemed to catch fire from the touch. "Good night Em-ma." Regina said quietly in a deep and smooth whisper. Emma's throat closed and she tried to say good night back but her words were replaced with a mumbled babble. Her inarticulation made Regina chuckle and she closed the car door.

While Mary Margaret idled the car and made sure Regina got inside safely, Emma spent her time watching Regina's backside. She chewed on her bottom lip and clenched her fists so tight she started to worry that she would draw blood in both places. Regina opened the door and waved back to the car before disappearing inside. Emma didn't realize that she was still waving back minutes after they had pulled away from the house. She only stopped when she heard Ruby laughing next to her. Emma shot Ruby an angry glare that was fueled by her humiliation.

"What's so funny girls?" Mary Margaret asked lightly while peeking in her rearview mirror.

"Nothing mom." Emma said with her face in her hands, wishing she could wipe the red off of her cheeks. Mary Margaret dropped off Ruby and her grandmother and then pulled her minivan into the garage attached to the Nolan house.

"Oh, your father's home." Mary Margaret said when she saw his truck parked inside. They both entered the house to find David Nolan sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee. He stood and placed a peck on his wife's puckered lips and gave Emma a one armed hug around her shoulder.

"How was the play guys?" David asked them cheerfully.

"Fine." Emma said evenly.

Mary Margaret rolled her eyes at her adolescent daughter and got a knowing smirk from her husband in response. "It was better than just fine. The mayor's daughter was fantastic David. She is really talented."

"The mayor's daughter?" David's eyebrows went up and then his eyelids narrowed in thought. "That's uh Regina, right? I didn't know she went to your school too Emma."

"Well yeah, it's like the only high school in town." Emma muttered and crossed her arms over her chest. David looked down at the floor and shook his head with a smile at his teenage daughter's attitude.

"Emma, did you know that you met Regina when you were a little girl?" Mary Margaret said as she poured herself a cup of coffee. Emma's eyes went wide.

"Really?" Emma's interest in the conversation with her parents suddenly increased.

"Yeah." Mary Margaret sipped her coffee. "You were about four or five and we were at the playground. Remember that old playground David? By the old house?"

David nodded. "Oh right. You know the city is talking about turning it into a parking lot."

"Oh that's too bad." Mary Margaret pouted and Emma could see that her parent's were about to derail the conversation.

"Mom! Regina?" Emma held her arms out to her side with her fingers spread out.

Mary Margaret waved her hands in front of her face. "Oh right, well she had knocked over a castle you had made in the sandbox and you came running to me crying. 'Mommy Mommy! She knocked over my castle!" Mary Margaret laughed as she mimicked Emma with a high pitched voice. Emma rolled her eyes. "Anyway, Cora brought Regina over and made her apologize to you. Then it was so cute Emma! You forgave her and gave her a big hug! I wish I had taken a picture!"

"I did? I don't remember that." Emma was trying to recall the incident but her memory didn't go back that far. She did think it was kind of cute that she had met Regina way back when she was so young. She grinned and started to nibble on her thumbnail absently. Her phone dinged a text notification in her back pocket. "That's probably Ruby." She said without checking. "I'm going up to my room. G'night."

David and Mary Margaret said goodnight to the empty air that once held their teenage daughter as Emma had sped out of the kitchen before they could answer. They shared a chuckle as they sat at the table enjoying their coffee together. Mary Margaret frowned and David noticed.

"What's wrong?" David asked his wife.

"Oh I was just thinking about Cora." Mary Margaret said still frowning. "I remember thinking back then that she treated Regina kind of rough. I mean it wasn't even that serious David."

David sighed. "Yeah, that sounds like the mayor. She's nothing like her husband was. Going into a meeting with her is like being in front of the queen you know? Like any minute she's going to go 'Off with their heads!'." Mary Margaret laughed.

Emma plopped onto her bed and pulled her phone out, expecting to see a text from Ruby. The number was one she didn't recognize but when she read the text her heartbeat went into overdrive.

"Thanks again for the ride home tonight Emma." And then a smiley face emoji.

Emma's hands shook as she realized Regina Mills had just texted her. How did she get her number? What should she say? Emma's mind was racing and she sat up in her bed with her eyes focused on the text. Her fingers shook as she replied. Just be cool Emma, she tried to tell herself.

Emma: Hey no prob.

'No _prob_ '? What the hell is that? Emma groaned as she face palmed herself. Her phone dinged again with a response.

Regina: Thanks for the hug too. I needed that.

Regina's reply was followed by a heart emoji this time and Emma's mouth gaped. A heart emoji? What did that mean? Regina freaking Mills just sent her a heart emoji! Emma felt light headed and thought she would hyperventilate. Now she really had no idea how to respond. Should she send a heart back? Her brow began to heat up and her armpits started to tingle.

Regina: That's two I owe you now.

A blowing a kiss emoji. I'm dead now, Emma thought. I'm dead or I'm dreaming. What is happening? Regina just sent her a blowing a kiss emoji. Oh my God. Emma felt like her mind was swimming through quicksand. She was suffering a brain freeze of monumental proportions. What should she do? How do you respond to a kiss emoji? Emma was starting to get queasy from nervousness.

Regina: Good night Emma.

Emma found her fingers were typing out good night. What are you doing? Stop typing? Her fingers weren't listening to her brain. She nearly screamed for them to stop but then her thumb hit send.

Emma: Good night.

Good night? _Good Night!_ She sent a heart and a kiss and all your dumb ass could do was reply _good night?_ Emma stared in horror at her screen. No prob and good night. That's all she had said to Regina. No prob and good night. She felt tears start to burn her eyes. What had she done? Regina probably thinks that she's some kind of jerk, she told herself. Or worse, she might think that she doesn't even care.

Emma fell back on her bed and covered her face with her hands. She felt herself shake and before she knew it she was sobbing.

"I'm so stupid." Emma cried between sobs. Hot tears rolled down her cheeks as she laid there thinking she had missed her chance forever. After an hour she finally cried herself to sleep.

The next day Ruby noticed how Emma walked like a zombie, dragging herself from class to class. By lunch Ruby had enough. "Okay Emma, what the fuck is wrong with you? You've been spacey all day." Ruby said over the gritty meatloaf the cafeteria was forcing on them.

Dull green eyes rose to meet Ruby's angry stare. Ruby's scowl instantly disappeared as she saw the despair in her best friends face. "Nothing's wrong Ruby." Emma droned, emotionless.

"Bullshit. I know you girl." Ruby pointed her fork at Emma, but her voice was much more compassionate than before. "Is this about your crush on Regina?"

Emma's eyes flew open and her jaw dropped, Ruby watched as all the color drained from her friend's already pale face. "What? How did-?" Emma stuttered, trying to protest but unable to form intelligible words.

Ruby rolled her eyes and smirked. "Please Emma. How long have I been your best friend? Since first grade? I can read you like a book girl." Ruby looked down at her tray as she stabbed the meatloaf with her fork and brought a chunk to her mouth. "You've been gawking and drooling over your crush since the first day of school. I've seen you trying to be slick and sneaking glances at her. Even now your face is turning red just from me talking about her."

Ruby smiled as she tried to chew the meatloaf in her mouth, after a hard swallow she pointed the empty fork at her friend as she narrowed her eyes. "What I can't figure out is why you're acting like this after last night. In the car you two seemed to be hitting it off. What happened?" Ruby asked with genuine concern in her eyes.

Emma's eyes finally showed signs of life as the began to glass over with unshed tears. "I fucked it up Ruby. I fucked it all up." Emma took off her glasses and hung her head low, covering her face with her hands.

Ruby glanced around the cafeteria to see if anyone was watching as Emma fell apart. "Emma what are you talking about? How did you fuck it up?"

Emma lifted her head and Ruby saw the red puffy eyes of her friend. She watched as Emma pulled out her phone and slid it to her across the table. Ruby picked up the phone and gave Emma a look of puzzlement. "She texted me last night." Emma said with no emotion and slumped shoulders.

Ruby opened up the text messages. It took her only a few seconds to read the exchange and without lifting her eyes she reflexively blew out a low whistle. Her eyes quickly flew up to Emma's and she gave her an apologetic look. "Sorry." Ruby put her hand on Emma's. "It's not that bad Emma. I mean, uh yeah."

Emma shook her head. "It's bad Ruby." She whisper screamed. "I came off like a jerk! I didn't say anything! She's going to think I was brushing her off! But I was so nervous I didn't know what to say! I thought I was being cool but then when I sent it I saw how stupid I looked!" Emma turned her head to the ceiling and sighed. "I ruined everything before anything even started."

Ruby felt bad for her friend but she didn't know what to say. It did look bad. Ruby didn't know how to soften the blow for her friend. While she struggled to think of a way to comfort her friend, her eyes caught sight of Regina. "Look out girl, here comes Regina." Ruby whispered.

Emma's head snapped around and she saw Regina with a lunch tray in hand walking down the aisle towards them. Regina was wearing a tight purple sweater and black jeans that hugged her hips. Her heeled black knee high boots clicked as she walked like a runway model through the cafeteria. Emma marveled at Regina's flawless appearance and could only imagine how terrible she looked in comparison. Once Regina was a few steps from them she turned and smiled at Ruby.

"Hello Ruby." She smiled and continued on her way, completely ignoring Emma.

"Uh hi Regina." Ruby said in confusion. Regina had never spoken to her before, had never even acknowledged the two freshman girls at all before. Now she had greeted Ruby and not even glanced at Emma. There was no way that this interaction wasn't intentional. Regina made her way to the table she usually shared with her friend Kathryn and some of the other popular seniors. Ruby dreaded turning back to her friend, knowing that Emma was going to be completely devastated by the snub.

"She hates me Ruby." Emma's voice cracked. "She hates me now." Ruby's heart broke as she saw the anguish in Emma's face. Before she could try to console her friend, Emma shot up from her chair and ran out of the lunch room.

"Emma wait." Ruby got up and quickly followed her friend out. Neither girl looked back. If they had they would have seen the sad look on Regina's face as she watched the young blonde leave.

At dinner that night Emma picked at her food listlessly. David and Mary Margaret shared a look of concern before Emma's mother decided to break the silence. "Emma? Did something happen at school today? You seem a little down dear." Emma sighed as she continued to stare at her nearly untouched plate.

"No." She said quietly without lifting her head. Her mother looked to David for help.

"You can talk to us about anything Emma. We just want to help." Her father said softly.

"Nothing's wrong okay." Emma muttered with a slight edge in her tone. David shrugged and looked at Mary Margaret. She raised her eyebrows and reached over the table to gently touch her daughter's forearm.

"Is it boy trouble?" Mary Margaret said in a quiet voice even though everyone in the house was sitting at the kitchen table.

Emma snorted derisively. "No!" David shot a quick glance of understanding to his wife. Mary Margaret returned it with a nod.

"Is it girl trouble?" He asked. Emma's head flew up and she looked at her parents with panic in her eyes.

"What?" She stuttered as her heart rate skyrocketed. Smiles appeared on her parent's faces and Emma's eyes flew back and forth between them. Her voice came out as a whisper. "You knew?"

Mary Margaret tilted her head and her eyes filled with compassion. "We suspected. You're our daughter Emma, I think we know you pretty well." She grinned. David nodded his head and looked at his daughter.

"We didn't want to confront you, we thought it better if we waited until you were comfortable enough to tell us." He patted her hand softly on the table. "Your mother and I didn't want to out you like this, but we can't stand to see our daughter suffering."

Emma was dumbstruck, how could her parents know? _She_ was only figuring herself out now. Her brain tried to catch up to the situation that was playing out at the kitchen table. Tears started to form in her eyes and a lump grew in her throat. "You're okay with this?" Her voice was a croak. "You don't hate me?" She said softly looking down at her hands that were now fumbling nervously in her lap.

Mary Margaret sprung from her chair and moved faster than Emma had ever seen. In an instant she was kneeling by Emma's chair and wrapping her daughter in a tight hug. "Emma sweetie, we could never hate you! We love you! You're our daughter!"

David stood by her chair and kissed her on her forehead. "Emma, it doesn't matter to us who you love. The only thing we care about is your happiness. You are who you were born to be and we love everything about you. All I care about is somebody breaking my little girl's heart."

Emma sobbed in happiness as her parents hugged her tightly in their small kitchen. They understood and accepted her without reservation. It felt like a huge weight had been lifted and she felt a freedom of a kind she had never dreamed of. She could be herself around her parents, she would be accepted in her home.

"Thank you." Emma choked out to her parents.

Mary Margaret looked at her daughter with tears in her eyes and her brows furrowed. "Emma, you don't need to thank us. We're your parents. If we didn't love you for everything you are what kind of parents would we be? I promised to love you when you were growing inside me and I will never break that promise, ever."

"Emma it's not only our job to love you" Emma looked up at her father and saw the tears in his eyes as well. She also so the look of complete acceptance on David's face. "It's our honor. You are our baby girl and we will always be proud of you."

She was at a loss for words. There was no way she could express the feelings in her heart to her mother and father. Instead she cried in their arms and hugged them tight there in the Nolan family kitchen.


	3. Chapter 3

Emma had spent the rest of the night texting Ruby in her room. She decided to come out to her best friend since her parents knew she was gay now. Ruby however was totally unsurprised by the news. She informed Emma that she had known for a long time and was just happy that Emma had finally admitted it to herself.

She told Ruby that she wasn't ready to come out at school, she was still very shy and uncomfortable at school. Being a freshman was bad enough in Emma's opinion, she didn't want to be know as the _gay_ freshman as well. Ruby told her to screw what everyone else thought, but she agreed to keep her friend's secret until she was ready.

The rest of the night Emma poured out her feelings about Regina and what had happened at lunch. While Ruby did her best to comfort her friend, she didn't have an answer to her dilemma. The only option she could come up with was to try and be extra nice to Regina. Emma could barely function around Regina to begin with, and now Ruby was telling her to be extra nice. That night Emma tossed and turned, barely getting any sleep. Her mind was racing with thoughts of the brunette senior.

Weeks passed and although Emma went out of her way to be friendly, Regina continued to give her the cold shoulder. Ruby encouraged her to persevere. "Come on Emma, she can't freeze you out forever! She'll say hi to you one day just to shut you up!" Emma frowned at her friend, not finding any humor in the situation.

Freshman year would have been Hell for her but Emma found an outlet for her frustrations by making the girl's basketball team. She was a natural athlete and excelled in nearly every sport she tried, but basketball was her favorite. Emma proved so good that the coach moved her all the way up to the varsity team as a freshman. Soon Emma was the star player on the team, thrilling her parents who made sure they attended every one of her games.

The increased notoriety around school made her feel self conscious, she was still incredibly shy. The fact that the entire gym would be chanting her name would have made her nervous, but there was one thing that calmed her nerves every game. One person actually, Regina Mills. The popular senior was the head cheerleader and her presence always made Emma push herself to impress her.

The night of the game against Storybrooke High's in-state rivals for the championship was a night Emma would always remember. All game long she had been in the zone. Emma felt like she couldn't miss a shot, everything she threw up went in the net and the crowd was going wild. After every shot Emma would head down to the other end of the court and glance at the sideline where the cheerleaders sat on the court floor. Regina was looking at her, not just looking, _staring_! Everytime she looked at her Regina was staring back at her with a playful smirk. It gave Emma such an adrenaline rush that she was able to focus on two things, the game and Regina. She couldn't hear the crowd screaming their lungs out, so focused was she on the dreamy brown eyes that followed her movements up and down the gym floor.

"Foul!" The ref yelled after he blew the whistle. Emma had gone flying after a particularly hard shove from a defender from the other team. The crowd booed the other player as her teammates helped her to her feet. Looking into the crowd she could see her father was among the loudest spectators voicing their displeasure. The clock showed one second to go and Storybrooke was down by one point. Emma would take two shots from the foul line, if she made them both Storybrooke would be state champions.

"You got this Emma!" She could hear her mother scream out as the crowd settled down to watch her shoot. Emma bounced the ball and prepared her shot. She looked to where Regina was sitting right under the hoop she was facing. Regina was biting her bottom lip and she had her hands clasped together watching Emma intently.

Emma felt a warmth spread in her chest as their eyes met. Then Emma felt a grin pull at the corner of her cheeks as she shot the ball up, her eyes never once breaking contact with Regina. The brunette cheerleader's eyes went wide as they followed the ball to the rim. Emma heard the swish of the ball through the net and didn't look away from Regina. The senior jumped to her feet cheering and clapping her hands as the stands erupted in applause. The smile on Regina's face made Emma feel like she was floating.

The game was now tied and the crowd fell silent again but everyone remained on their feet. The tension was felt throughout the gym and the whole place felt like it would explode if the moment lasted any longer. The ref gave Emma the ball and she bounced it in front of her. Everything seemed to go in slow motion then. Emma got set to shoot and once again looked toward Regina. This time right before the ball left her hand, Emma watched as Regina subtly puckered her full lips and slowly kissed the air as their eyes locked on each other.

Emma's jaw dropped to the floor and for a few seconds she couldn't comprehend that her teammates were lifting her on their shoulders. She couldn't hear the crowd explode into cheers as they rushed the court and celebrated the victory. The only thought that echoed in her head was that Regina Mills just blew her a kiss!

"Emma! Emma! Emma!" The crowd was chanting and Emma was starting to become aware of her surroundings. She started to smile as she saw everyone around her pumping their fists and congratulating her. She was carefully lowered to the floor and was suddenly engulfed into her parents arms.

"You did it sweetheart!" Mary Margaret shouted in her ear, barely audible over the din.

"That's my girl!" Her father was squeezing the air out of her lungs while he laughed like a madman.

"Dad!" Emma wheezed. "I can't breathe!". Her father laughed and let her go. Her parents looked at her with so much love and pride in their eyes that Emma felt like she would cry. She basked in the moment for just a second before her head spun around as she looked for a particular face.

"Where's Regina?" She asked her parents.

They shared a knowing look and smiled at each other before they too began to search. "I don't see her." Mary Margaret answered. David was taller than both of them so he was able to see the senior girl across the gym.

"There she is, by the exit doors." David pointed and they all looked. Emma saw Regina and her mother standing with a man she didn't recognize. Emma frowned as she saw the way Cora was looking at her daughter. Her arms were crossed and she appeared to be berating her daughter about something. Regina was looking down toward the floor and Emma's heart went out to her. She wanted to run to her and defend her from Cora.

David And Mary Margaret seemed to sense the anger coming from Emma and her father squeezed her shoulders, attempting to calm her down. Emma seethed as she watched Cora grab Regina's arm roughly and drag her out the exit doors, the unknown man following close behind.

"Who's that man?" Emma asked her father.

David exhaled before he answered. "That's the mayor's new husband. Mr. Gold."

At school the next morning Emma noticed that Regina wasn't there. "Have you seen Regina yet?" Emma asked Ruby while her friend was closing her locker door.

Ruby shook her head no. "But I overheard some of the other seniors saying that last night the mayor and Mr. Gold left on a trip to New York. They're supposed to be gone all week so I'm guessing they took Regina with them."

Emma's heart sank, she was hoping to finally talk to Regina. Overnight she had worked up the courage to ask Regina what happened at the game last night. The blown kiss made it nearly impossible for her to get any sleep. She sighed and leaned against the lockers, clutching her books tightly to her chest.

"You alright Emma? You look tired." Ruby raised her eyes as she regarded her friends defeated posture.

Emma's eyes locked onto Ruby's. "Okay, you have to promise not to tell anyone this Ruby."

"Tell anybody what?" Ruby leaned forward and lowered her voice. Emma mirrored her friend and adopted a serious countenance.

"I mean it Ruby! Promise!" She whisper shouted.

Ruby mimed zipping her lips and throwing away the key. "Okay, fine. I'm putting it in the vault, Jeez Emma. What's so serious?"

Emma looked up and down the hallway, making sure they wouldn't be overheard. "Okay, last night when I was shooting free throws at the end of the game?"

Ruby waved her arms in front of her, trying to pull the words out of her friend's mouth. "Yeah, and?".

Emma paused and took a deep breath before she spoke. "Regina blew me a kiss."

"Get out of here!" Ruby raised her voice and shoved Emma. Her eyes went wide as she realized how loud she was. She dropped her voice down to a whisper again. "Sorry. Are you serious! She did that?"

Emma couldn't help but grin as she nodded up and down. "Yep!"

Ruby squeealed in delight. "Oh my God Emma! This is huge! I can't believe this! What does it mean?"

Emma sighed again and leaned back on the lockers. "I don't know Ruby. I was going to try and talk to her today but now she's not even here. Now what do I do?"

Ruby leaned back as well until her shoulders touched her best friend's. "Hell if I know Ems. You just have to wait until she comes back I guess."

"Yeah." Emma said with a far off look in her eyes, daydreaming about what would come next.

To her disappointment however the news came that Regina would not be returning to school. She learned the next day that Cora had transferred Regina to a private school in New York where she would finish out the rest of her senior year. Emma was crushed and that night she cried herself to sleep.

The rest of her freshman year went by pretty uneventfully, except for Valentine's Day. Emma had come home to find a bouquet of roses waiting for her. Mary Margaret stood by the flowers as Emma entered the house. Emma looked at her mother after seeing the vase filled with the flowers. "Did dad get you those?" She asked.

Mary Margaret held a card in her hand and smiled conspiratorially. "Oh they're not for me. They're for you!" She handed over the card to her shocked daughter.

"Who would send me roses?" Emma said bewildered as she opened the card. "Happy Valentine's Day. From your secret admirer." Emma read the card out loud to herself. She couldn't imagine who would do this for her. She smirked at her mother. "Did dad do this? Are you guys pranking me?"

Mary Margaret frowned at her daughter's skepticism. "No Emma, we aren't pranking you. The delivery man said they were sent anonymously. But I think I know who it is." Emma's mother smiled deviously.

Emma folded her arms across her chest. "Oh yeah? Who?".

"I'm not telling." She said with her nose in the air as she turned and walked away towards the kitchen. "But the delivery man _did_ say that the order came from New York City."

Emma felt like she would float to the ceiling.

That summer Emma turned 16 and was ecstatic that she would be able to get her learner's permit. David however informed her that she wouldn't be getting it until she got her first report card of the next school year. Being a teenage girl, this news resulted in a tantrum and cast a pall over her whole summer.

Thoughts of Regina began to fade during the long lazy summer days spent with Ruby while hanging out at Granny's diner. Emma was able to work a few hours a week as a waitress there and enjoyed the newfound independence of having her own money.

One week before school started Emma was reminded of Regina in an unexpected way. Mr. Gold enrolled his son Neal into Storybrooke high. The gossip around town was that Regina's new step brother had been thrown out of the private school in New York. Mr. Gold had brought Neal to Storybrooke where he could keep a closer eye on his son.

Ever since the flower delivery, Emma hadn't heard anything from Regina. She heard that Regina had graduated at the head of her class and been accepted into the best law school in New York. Emma hadn't known that Regina was interested in being a lawyer. She thought that Regina might become a drama major or move to LA and become a star. Emma was sure that the brunette had what it took to be a star.

It was a Friday night when Emma first met Neal Gold. With an hour to go before Granny's closed, Emma was exhausted. The diner was mostly empty and Emma was cleaning the table tops, getting ready to go home, when the bell above the door jingled. He was tall and had a round face with an easy smile. He had brown hair and was wearing a black leather jacket. To Emma he had a tough guy look to him and she guessed he was ruggedly handsome. He eyed her up as he came in and made Emma feel a little uncomfortable. He strode over to the counter and slid onto one of the stools facing Emma.

"What's good here?" He shouted over to Emma as he stared at her with a grin.

"Kitchen's closed. Drinks and desserts only." Granny's voice boomed from the behind the kitchen door. Emma shrugged at Neal and pointed to the kitchen door.

Neal kept grinning at her, not breaking eye contact at all. "Let me have a Coke then." Emma walked over to the counter and grabbed a glass. He gave her a wink. "And a slice of that pie."

"Okay." Emma said with a chuckle and an eye roll. She hadn't missed the innuendo. She had half a mind to tell him that he was barking up the wrong tree. She filled his glass and sat it front of him then went to get him a slice of pie.

Neal scrunched his face. "Apple? I hate apple."

"Sorry, that's all we got left." Emma said with another shrug and was about to go back to cleaning when he grabbed her arm. Although he had done it gently, Emma still didn't like a stranger touching her. Her look delivered the message to Neal and he let her go.

"I wanted to talk to you." He said, still grinning. "I'm Neal Gold."

"Oh, the mayor's step son." Emma nodded. "I hear you're going to be starting at Storybrooke high this year." She was just making small talk and trying to be polite. She really didn't want to get into a conversation, she was tired and ready to go home.

"Yeah, I'll be a sophomore. You?"

"Same." She deadpanned and started to wipe down the counter.

"Hey, maybe we'll be in the same classes."

"Maybe."

"It would be nice to know your name so I can ask to copy of your paper." He said, attempting to be charming.

She sighed. "Emma Swan. Emma Swan Nolan." Neal's eyebrows raised.

" _The_ Emma?" For the first time, Emma was interested in what Neal had to stay. "Heard a lot about you."

"Really? How?" Emma was bewildered.

Neal slowly picked at his pie with his fork, appearing disinterested all of a sudden. "From my step sister." Emma's heart skipped a beat.

"Regina?" She said excitedly and then struggled to appear calm.

"Yeah. _Regina_." She caught the look of distaste that flashed on Neal's face before he covered it up with that smile again. "You're pretty young to be a friend of her's."

Emma grew flustered. "I'm not a friend. I mean I'd like to be. I mean, I don't know her. I mean I didn't know that she knew me. I mean I know her, but not you know." Neal held his hands up and chuckled.

"Easy Swan easy." Emma didn't like him using her middle name. "I didn't mean to cause a meltdown. "She just said a few times how you're a pretty nice girl." Emma felt her face flush as she thought about Regina Mills talking about her. "She said you were cute too. But she didn't do you justice."

If she had heard him flirting she would have rolled her eyes. But after Neal told her that Regina thought she was cute, Emma shut out the entire world. Regina had sent her flowers and she told someone she was cute. She had blown her a kiss. Emma thought about all the ways that Regina had sent signals and how Emma did nothing about it.

Those texts, she cursed in her head. If she hadn't been such a blockhead when she was texting that night, things might have been very different. She wanted to slam her head on the counter in frustration. She needed to get home and call Ruby. Emma was vaguely aware that Neal was still talking to her but she turned toward the kitchen and shouted. "I'm going home Granny!" Emma tossed the towel down and quickly left the diner.

Neal was left staring at the door as it closed behind her. He turned slowly and looked down at his pie, stabbing it over and over again with his fork.


	4. Chapter 4

Once Emma got her learner's permit midway through sophomore year it seemed like the days were racing by. She was so focused on getting her father to teach her how to drive that thoughts of Regina began to disappear. Her feelings had not faded, she just found she didn't have enough hours in a day to yearn for her. School, learning to drive, working at Granny's, basketball, at times she felt she was going 100 miles an hour.

Another complication that added to her distractions away from Regina was Neal Gold. Ever since the first day of school Neal dogged her heels. The young man inserted himself into Emma's life and she didn't appreciate it at all. He was constantly sitting with her and Ruby at lunch, he sat next to Emma every chance he got in class. Although Ruby thought it was funny how he constantly tried to get Emma to go on a date with him, Emma was not amused.

Neal would not take no for an answer and Emma could not understand his infatuation with her. She still thought of herself as an ugly duckling, thinking that everyone saw her as some awkward and unattractive little girl. She didn't realize that she was growing up and becoming a woman, she was getting taller and her athletic body was starting to turn heads in the hallways.

When the school year came to an end Emma finally got her license after failing the test twice. Mary Margaret was terrified with the idea of her little girl driving. It was David who had to convince her that their little girl was not so little anymore. After having shared the news with Ruby, Emma felt a nearly irresistible urge to tell Regina. She had no idea why she would though, it wasn't like they were close. Or friends even. _Why would she even care?_

The question would haunt Emma more and more as time went on. Regina and her family began to celebrate all holidays in New York City and not in Storybrooke. Regina would not come home during breaks from school at all. Emma was effectively cut off from her completely and it hurt and confused her at the same time. _Why would she not come home?_

Her days began to run together and the years flew by. In the blink of an eye she was a senior and contemplating her future after graduation.

"I still can't believe you're going to be a cop." Ruby said as she lay on Emma's bed staring up at the ceiling. Emma sat at the edge of her bed paging through a magazine and not paying attention to what was on the pages.

"Technically I'll be a deputy." Emma said in a monotone. Her thoughts were elsewhere.

"You're making me go to college all by myself while you get to play cops and robbers with your dad." Ruby pouted.

"There aren't any robbers in Storybrooke Ruby." Emma rolled her eyes.

Ruby sat up and looked at her distracted friend. "Then why do it? It's going to be so boring Emma! Come with me! There'll be college parties! College boys! Well, college girls for you. But it'll be fun!"

Emma kept her head down and her eyes in the magazine that she wasn't reading. "I'm not interested Ruby." Ruby snatched the magazine out of Emma's hands and tossed it to the floor. "Hey! What the hell Ruby?"

"Oh you weren't even reading it!" Ruby waved her hand dismissively. "You're just sticking around here because you keep thinking that Regina will move back one day."

Emma crossed her arms and scowled at her friend. Ruby was telling the truth and they both knew it. Yet Emma still tried to deny her true intentions. "My father is the sheriff, I'm just trying to keep the family tradition going." Emma offered.

"Oh please, Emma this obsession you have with Regina is getting unhealthy." Ruby became serious. "It was okay that you moped all through high school, dreaming that she would come home and want to be with you. You have to get on with your life Emma, it has been three years! Three years and no communication whatsoever. The only kind of news you ever get about her are unreliable reports from her creepy step brother." Ruby reached out and placed her hand on Emma's knee. "It's time to move on Emma."

Emma wanted to yell at her friend. She wanted to scream at her and tell her that Regina would come back one day and Emma would tell her how she felt. But instead tears poured out of her eyes and she broke into heavy sobs. Ruby wrapped her up in a tight hug and Emma broke down.

"I know!" Emma cried. "But I can't Ruby! I know I'm being stupid!" All of her pain poured out. All of the frustration that had been building for years inside her erupted. "She probably forgot all about me! But I can't help it! I just can't Ruby!"

Ruby rubbed circles on Emma's back, attempting to calm her. She felt slightly relieved that her closed off friend was finally opening up. Emma had built walls around her heart and refused to let anyone near it. It wasn't healthy and Ruby had been worried for so long about her best friend. "It's okay Emma. I know it's hard, but once you let go it will get better." Ruby said quietly as Emma's tears wet her shoulder through her shirt.

Emma couldn't answer even if she wanted to. She cried harder than she had ever cried in her life. Minutes passed and she was still weeping heavily. After she was able to pull herself together long enough to assure Ruby that she was okay, her friend left to go home. That night Emma cried herself to sleep, unwilling to let her feelings for Regina go.

"Emma Nolan." Her parents cheered as her name was announced and she walked across the stage. Emma smiled and gave her mother and father a tiny wave as she received her diploma. A true feeling of accomplishment filled her heart, her high school career was over. It felt like a chapter in her life had come to an end and a new one was just starting. She wasn't a child anymore, she was an adult.

Right before she left the stage she nearly stumbled and gasped as she spotted smoky brown eyes watching her. Regina Mills was sitting in the audience watching her graduate. Emma's thoughts swirled like a tornado and her heart thumped in her chest. _Regina was here!_

She ran to Ruby as she left the stage grabbing her friend by the shoulders.

"Did you see? She's here Ruby! Regina's here!" She whisper shouted with big green eyes open wide in surprise.

"Yeah, I saw her." Ruby was not excited at all and her indifference confused Emma.

"I'm going to tell her Ruby." Emma smiled. "I mean her being here has to mean something right? It's fate that she came back!"

Ruby shook her head. "Emma it's not fate and she's not here for you. Remember?" She looked at Emma with sadness in her eyes.

Emma's eyebrows furrowed. "What? What are you talking about?"

Ruby pointed behind Emma. "She's here for him, her stepbrother." Emma followed Ruby's finger and took in the scene behind her. There stood Neal in his cap and gown being congratulated by his father with Cora right by his side. Close by, stood Regina who looked uncomfortable and kept stealing quick glances over at Emma. The blonde graduate was about to smile at Regina when a man next to her that she hadn't noticed before put his arm around her shoulder.

Emma felt like she had been hit by a cannon ball. She watched as the man pulled her close, hugging Regina with one arm and kissing her on top of her head. Emma's mouth dropped open, the man was tall and had brown stubble on his rugged face. He had a bright smile and kind eyes. Emma felt a lump in her throat and quickly grew lightheaded. For a brief moment her eyes met Regina's and the blonde saw something in the brown eyes of the woman she had never seen before. Defeat. Regina turned away quickly and placed a wooden smile on her face as she rejoined the conversations with her family.

Tears burned Emma's eyes. Regina was with someone, she had a boyfriend, Emma had truly missed her chance. She could barely feel Ruby's hand on her shoulder. "Emma, I'm sorry." Ruby's words came from far away and barely registered in Emma's mind.

"You did it kiddo!" Her father pulled her into a big hug.

"We're so proud of you honey!" Mary Margaret joined the group hug that Emma barely felt. Her parents pulled back and noticed Emma's puffy red eyes. "Emma?" Her mother was concerned. "What's the matter?" David looked to Ruby for an explanation. Ruby just pointed to Regina and Emma's parents understood. "Oh Emma baby, I'm sorry." Mary Margaret said, her voice heavy with emotion. Emma broke away from the hug and ran out of the school auditorium.

A certain brunette followed the blonde graduate's escape with sad eyes. Regina's heart went out to Emma and she longed to go after her. She was rooted to her spot by the weight of the arm draped over her shoulder and the watchful gaze of her mother.

She didn't want to go to the party, but Ruby had practically begged her. Emma was not in the mood to celebrate after learning that Regina had a boyfriend now. If that wasn't enough to ruin her feelings for attending the party, it was being thrown by Neal at the mayoral mansion. There was no doubt in Emma's mind that Regina would be there and she didn't know if she could handle seeing her having fun with her new guy.

To try and make her feel better, Ruby decided to dress Emma and loan her one of her dresses. Emma was not used to wearing dresses and she definitely felt uncomfortable wearing the one that Ruby chose for her. It was a tight black dress that went all the way up to the middle of her thighs. It had spaghetti straps and that was it. Emma felt nearly naked wearing it, the dress was so tight that it hugged her hips and she was afraid that it would ride up and display her bare ass for all to see. It pushed her breasts together until they looked like they would spill out over the top. She was petrified thinking about how strong the straps were on her shoulders and what would happen if the thin material were to snap. She wore a pair of black heels that made her feel like she was walking on stilts, the highest shoes that she ever wore had the Nike symbol on the side. Looking in the mirror however, she had to admit that she looked damn good. Her long legs, which she thought were her best feature, were toned and looked stunning in the shoes. She had allowed Ruby to do her makeup and marveled at her friend's handiwork. She had showcased Emma's cheekbones and painted her lips a glossy nude that made her look like a model. Her shiny green eyes sparkled under the thick black lashes that Ruby made her wear and the smoky mascara gave her a sexy look.

"You are going to drop so many jaws tonight Emma." Her redheaded best friend stood behind her admiring her work.

Emma was almost speechless. "I've never looked this good in my whole life." She said softly. Ruby tilted her head with a smile, her friend was always putting herself down about her appearance.

"Emma, stop that. You have a natural beauty girl." Ruby grabbed her in a one armed hug and stood beside her. "See, I have to put on all this makeup and these clothes all the time to get guys to notice me." Emma rolled her eyes at that. "But you don't need any of this stuff, you look hot in jeans and a tank top, you just don't see it. But everyone else does, trust me on that. I see how guys look at you, some of the girls too."

Emma shrugged her shoulders. "So why am I dressed up like this then?"

Ruby gave her a conspiratorial grin. "Because" She turned Emma to face her. "We are going to make Regina so fucking jealous tonight that she is going to dump her loser boyfriend as soon as you walk in the door."

The blonde stifled a giggle and shook her head at her friend. "Yeah right Ruby. In my dreams."

Ruby let her go and went to grab her purse. "Laugh now, but mark my words. This is going to be a night you'll never forget."

Emma smiled in spite of herself and hoped her friend was right.

After pleading to her mother to let her go to the party dressed the way she was, Emma agreed to wear a tiny black cardigan that came up just below her breasts. Ruby whispered to her that they would ditch it in her car before they went into the party. Mary Margaret finally relented and allowed her nearly adult daughter to go and hugged her tight as she warned her against drinking.

They waved goodbye to her mother as the climbed into Ruby's car. Emma counted her blessings that her father was working because she knew that he would never let her leave the house dressed as she was. When they pulled up to the mansion Emma felt her heart beating like a snare drum.

"Before we go in we are gonna lose these." Ruby said as she removed Emma's glasses.

"Hey!" Emma protested. "How am I going to see anything?"

"We aren't going to the library Emma! We're going to a party!" Ruby laughed while she put Emma's glasses on the dashboard. "You look like a million bucks Emma, she doesn't stand a chance."

Emma blushed and tucked a wayward yellow strand behind her ear. She was hoping that her friend was right. With a deep breath she followed Ruby out of the car and up the walk to the front door. Emma could hear the pulsing of the music on the outside and the strength of the beat started to reflect the beat in her chest.


	5. Chapter 5

Inside the mansion was packed with people from wall to wall. "There are more people in here than are in our whole school!" Emma spoke loudly into Ruby's ear so she could be heard over the loud music. Ruby nodded to her friend.

"Yeah. I think most of this crowd are friends of Neal's from New York."

"He must have been more likable _there_ than here in Storybrooke." Emma countered.

Ruby laughed. "Yeah, money can buy a lot of friends." Ruby's eyes rolled as she spotted Neal coming towards them through the crowd. "Here he comes now."

Emma groaned. "I swear that guy has a tracking device on me. He always knows when I'm around." Neal stopped in front of them with a smile on his face and two red cups in his hands.

"Hey Emma!" His eyes raked over Emma's body making her feel exposed. She didn't like the lascivious look in his eyes. "Ruby." He never took his eyes off Emma while he greeted Ruby. "Glad you could make it Emma! Here you go ladies!" He pushed the cups into their hands.

Emma scrunched her face. "I'm not supposed to have any alcohol tonight."

Neal dismissed her with a wave of his hand. "Oh come on Emma! Live a little, it's only a little bit! Besides it's not like this party is going to be busted or anything! My stepmother's the mayor and my father owns most of this town!" He boasted to the girls as he tipped Emma's cup closer to her lips. She took a sip of the drink and grimaced, it burned a little but she noticed a sweetness as well.

Neal was right about his family's power over the town. In only a few years Mr. Gold had managed to buy most of the businesses in town and half the land. With his marriage to Cora Mills, he and his son practically had the run of the town. The fact wasn't lost on Neal either. He acted as though he was royalty and made sure that everyone in town thought of him that way as well.

"See, it's not that bad is it?" Neal grinned at her as she took another sip.

Emma shook her head no. "I guess not."

"Thanks Neal." Ruby said with an obviously fake smile and a hostile tone before she too took a drink.

"I'm glad you could make it Emma." He put his arm around her and started to lead her further inside. Ruby followed behind them, ignored by Neal.

"Um yeah." Emma said, uncomfortable with Neal's arm around her. She had left her sweater in the car and was wishing that she had it now. Neal was moving his thumb slowly back and forth on her bare shoulder. His face was far too close for her liking as he showed her around the mansion. She occasionally glanced back at Ruby and saw her give her disapproving looks.

Finally they reached the patio and stepped outside where there were far fewer people and much quieter. With more space around them on the outside, Emma was able to wriggle free from Neal's grip. He frowned as she moved away from him and stood closer to Ruby.

"Back here is the garden, personally I'd rather have a basketball court out here but" Neal was explaining to the girls when a voice from behind them cut him off. It was a voice that sent a shiver down Emma's spine.

"But this garden has been here for decades and along with this house it's a historical landmark." Regina spoke sternly and leveled a stony glare at Neal. His lips curled in a grim smile and he matched Regina's glare.

"Yeah right." He muttered bitterly. "Let me go refresh your drinks, girls." He took their cups and turned away, walking back inside. Regina watched him go before turning back to Emma. Her face softened as their eyes met and her lips spread into a wide smile.

"Hello Emma, Ruby." She spoke softly, her voice making Emma's mouth go dry. "I'm happy you two could make it."

Emma grinned and she could feel her face burning. She knew she must look as red as a tomato. "Yeah. Um me too. I mean thank you for having me. Us! Thank you for having us." _Why won't my tongue ever work around this woman?_ She couldn't believe how flustered she got around the brunette. Her eyes moved slowly up and down Regina's body. She was wearing a red dress that was hugging every curve of her gorgeous body. It was cut low in the front and Regina's cleavage caused Emma to stare longer than was appropriate. The dress was backless and Emma imagined what it would feel like to run her fingertips up and down the smooth, tan skin.

"Why you're welcome dear, but this is Neal's party, not mine." Regina's voice was almost a purr and it made Emma light headed.

"Well, I didn't get an invite to your party so I" Emma cut herself off. She hadn't meant to say that, the words just came out before she could stop them. She was trying to be funny and charming but instead it came out petty and bitter. She was mortified. "I'm sorry! That's not what I meant, I was just saying"

This time it was Regina that cut her off. "I understand." She said calmly, but Emma could see the change in her face. She had turned serious and the levity from before was gone. Emma wanted to die. "I would have enjoyed throwing a party in Storybrooke for my graduation as well but my _mother_ thought differently." Her voice was hard and Emma saw a vein appear in her forehead as Regina's jaw clenched. Then as fast as her mood turned dark she became friendly again. "But if I did have it here I would have made sure to invite the star basketball player." She smiled as she took a sip from her cup, her eyes never leaving Emma's.

"Hey, I think I see uh someone." Ruby spoke up next to her, Emma had forgotten her friend was by her side. "I'm just going to go over and say hi. I'll catch up to you later Emma." Ruby slipped away without another word. Emma felt guilty for ignoring her friend, she hoped that Ruby understood that she couldn't pass up the chance to talk to Regina again.

Emma nodded at Ruby's retreating back and then turned back to Regina. "I'm not a star, I mean I wasn't a star." Emma felt herself blushing again and she moved some of her long blonde hair behind her ears to try and hide her reddening cheeks.

"Nonsense dear." Regina touched Emma's upper arm lightly and although it was a platonic touch it sent ripples of heat through her. "Everyone thought you were the best player in the school, boy or girl. Looking at you now, I can see that you are still every bit the athlete." Regina's eyes darkened and she gave Emma's bicep a little squeeze. This time Emma got the feeling that the touch had moved away from just being friendly. "It seems that you have transformed yourself my dear."

 _Is she flirting with me?_ Emma's thoughts were swimming again. "Uh, transformed?"

"You were an awkward little duckling before, but now you are an elegant swan." Regina's eyes were so warm that Emma could have melted. "Yes, Ms. Swan." Regina smiled at the name.

"You mean I was an ugly duckling before?" Emma joked. Hearing Regina call her Ms. Swan made her throat close up, her words were barely audible.

"You could never be ugly Ms. Swan." Regina's voice was low and it seemed to Emma like the rest of the party had faded away. It was as if they were the only two in the garden and all Emma wanted to do was close the distance between them. Regina's luscious red lips were parted slightly and her chest rose and fell deeply. Emma licked her lips and saw Regina's eyes zero in on them. Emma's hand started to rise toward Regina and it felt like it weighed a ton. She watched as Regina's breath hitched and her eyes bored deep into Emma's.

"Regina darling, there you are!" A male voice with an English accent shattered the moment. Regina blinked rapidly and Emma jolted like she was electrocuted. They both turned to see the tall and rugged man coming toward them. He had a bright, disarming smile and looked at Regina with genuine love in his eyes. It made Emma nauseous. "I was looking for you inside, I should have known you would be in the garden, it is your favorite place after all."

Regina cleared her throat and looked at Emma nervously as the man put his arm around Regina and kissed her cheek. Emma could barely hold her jealousy inside as her thin lips pressed together. "I'm sorry Robin, I was just catching up with an old friend." Regina looked at Emma and the blonde could see that her eyes were apologetic. "Robin Locksley I'd like you to meet Emma Nolan."

Robin's eyes widened in recognition. " _The_ Emma Swan Nolan? How nice to meet you at last." He said with an authentic smile and extended his hand toward Emma. "Regina is always talking about you! She speaks highly of you Emma, she has missed you a great deal. I have to admit to a little jealousy." He shook her hand warmly and Emma saw Regina blushing and looking down at her shoes.

"She does?" Emma was shocked.

"Why yes, I must admit that it is finally nice to put a face to a name. I'm glad you could come tonight, Regina was really looking forward to seeing you." He was so nice that it made Emma feel bad for wanting to hate him. The way he was holding Regina close and rubbing her shoulder was making her furious even though she knew she had no claim to the beautiful brunette.

"She did?" Emma looked back at Regina who had still not looked up. _Regina wanted to see me tonight? She talks about me?_ Emma couldn't comprehend what was happening. If she wanted to see her so badly why had she never come back to Storybrooke? Why was she with this guy?

"Yeah, annoyingly so." The group turned to the speaker with the irritated tone. There was Neal with a red cup in his hand and a dirty look aimed at Regina that Robin seemed not to notice. Neal quickly placed a fake smile on his face as he handed Emma the cup. "She talks about her like they were close friends, which they weren't." Neal said with a bitter tone that didn't match his smile.

Robin's brow furrowed in confusion. "Oh?"

"Yeah, they never hung out together or shared any classes. She was never as close like Emma and I were in school." Neal put his arm around Emma's shoulder mirroring the other couple. Emma saw the unmasked fury in Regina's eyes just then as she glared at her stepbrother. "Kind of makes you wonder why she would be so fixated on someone like that?" He sneered at Regina and Emma wanted to punch him in his fat face. Instead she wiggled out of his grip.

"Really now?" Robin questioned, looking down at Regina and then to Emma. "Regina?"

Emma watched as a mask fell and Regina smiled in a charming way that did not match her eyes which remained trained on Neal. "Well, Robin you shouldn't put too much stock in what my dear step brother is telling you. Perception is not one of his strong suits. Emma and I share a special bond." She hissed at Neal.

Feeling incredibly uncomfortable, Emma took a long sip from the drink Neal had given her. The taste was a little off from what she remembered. She reasoned that he had mixed her a different drink and continued to sip, trying to hide from the confrontation going on behind her cup.

"Well, we will leave you two lovebirds alone." Neal's voice was syrupy sweet with sarcasm. Emma was about to object to being pulled away from Regina when Neal interjected. "I'm sure you two have wedding plans to discuss."

Emma's heart felt like it shattered into a million fragments. She looked into Regina's eyes and the brown orbs were glassy with unshed tears. Robin was looking at Neal and did not see Regina mouth the words _I'm so sorry_.

Feeling dizzy, Emma began to shuffle away. Neal smiled wickedly at Regina before following behind her. In a daze she moved back into the house with Neal right behind her. She finished her drink as she moved like a zombie through the crowd, however not a moment later Neal shoved another into her hand. She drank and felt numb, physically and emotionally.


	6. Chapter 6

"Here, I think you need a drink." Neal handed her another red cup as he led her through the crowded kitchen. Emma took another drink as though she were in a trance, Regina was getting married. She took another big gulp as Neal pulled her through a door leading to the basement. Her feet felt unsteady as she navigated down the stairs. Regina was getting married.

Her cup was almost empty and she finished the last of her drink. She had never been really drunk before so she assumed that the far away feeling she felt was from the alcohol. Emma needed that feeling now, she needed to be outside of her body. Needed to be somewhere far away where the pain of her broken heart wouldn't feel so bad.

"She's a frigid bitch you know." Neal was leading her through the finished basement through different doors and rooms that Emma was not really seeing. "Regina acts like she's some _queen_. Like she's better than everybody else. I honestly don't see what that English knob Robin sees in her."

Emma wanted to defend Regina, even though she had hurt her with her engagement, Neal had no right to say those things about her. The words wouldn't come out however, her thoughts were jumbled and her lips didn't seem to work right. Something was wrong, she had seen Ruby drunk before and she had never been like Emma was right then.

"Robin's going to be in for a rude awakening when he finds out that Regina's a lesbo." Neal sneered angrily. _Regina's a lesbian?_ The thought echoed inside her and lit a small spark of hope inside Emma, but there was something wrong with her. She knew she should be angry at Neal for using that hurtful slur but her brain was so fuzzy and she could barely keep her eyes open. She was now leaning completely on Neal as he opened a door and flicked a light on.

Emma could see that there was a bed in the room and nothing else.

"But I suppose you would know all about being a lesbian in the closet." Neal grunted as he dragged her to the bed. Emma wasn't even strong enough to sit up anymore, she slumped onto her back and felt rather than saw Neal put her legs up on the bed. "Or did you think nobody would guess your secret Emma? I knew you were gay from the way you'd look at other girls. You thought you were being so slick didn't you?" His voice took on a menacing tone and through the fog in her mind Emma knew she was in danger.

Through heavy eyelids she watched as Neal began to undress himself. The look of angry lust that burned in his eyes told her the danger she was in. "No." She tried to yell but the word came out so softly that she barely heard it herself.

Neal's laugh was cold and humorless. "I've been wanting to do this for three long years Emma. I'm going to fuck you and you are going to love it." He was down to his underwear and Emma felt the panic exploding inside her. She tried to move but her limbs felt like she was swimming in concrete. "You're going to be screaming my name." He climbed onto the bed and spread her legs, her tight dress rose over her hips exposing her panties.

Tears began to leak from her half closed eyes and roll into her ears. "Please." Her voice was thick and weak. "Don't." She couldn't comprehend what was happening. This was supposed to be a night of celebration and now it was becoming a nightmare.

"You'll be saying 'please don't stop' soon!" He laid down on her and she could feel him even through their underwear. His penis was rock hard and the pressure on her core was terrifying her. "You can scream all you want, I've had this room soundproofed." He lowered his lips onto hers and pressed hard as his hands began to knead her breasts roughly through her breasts.

Emma wanted to pass out, she wanted to leave her body, but there was no escape. She was trapped.

"Get your filthy hands off her you fucking bastard!" Emma heard Regina's voice and her heart leapt inside her chest. Suddenly the pressure from Neal's body was gone and she heard scuffling and another male voice.

"You disgusting little troll!" That was Robin's voice. She wanted so badly to open her eyes, to be able to say something. She was trapped inside her mind and body.

"Get your hands off me! Who do you think you are?" That was Neal's voice.

"You were trying to rape her you sick fuck!" Emma had never heard such rage in Regina's voice before. "If you've hurt her I will kill you Neal. I swear to God I will kill you." Emma could feel Regina cradling her, she was able to smell her wonderful scent, it was the smell of apples and flowers. It was Regina's scent, it made her feel safe. Being in Regina's arms made her feel that everything was going to be okay.

"I'm not scared of you _Regina_! You can't touch me and you know it!" That was Neal again and his voice ignited a flame of hate inside of Emma. She felt the pressure of Regina pulling her even closer to her, protecting her.

"Fuck you!" Robin shouted and then Emma could hear a scuffle and what sounded like a punch being thrown. Neal cried out in pain and there was a loud thud that sounded like a body hitting the floor. "How does it feel to be taken advantage of by someone stronger than you Neal? Do you feel helpless? Because I'm stronger than you Neal! How does it feel you bloody degenerate?" More punches landed and Emma felt some satisfaction knowing that Neal was getting the shit kicked out of him.

"Robin." She heard the firmness in Regina's voice. "That's enough. As much as I am enjoying seeing this bastard being stomped into oblivion, you need to stop. When we call the sheriff I want there to be at least a few pieces of him left to throw into prison."

The sound of Robin breathing hard mingled with the low groans of pain from Neal. "You're right Regina." A deep breath from Robin. "You're right. Get up you load of shit, I'm taking you upstairs and then we're calling the sheriff." Emma heard grunts that she assumed were from Neal, and Robin dragging him outside of the room. The groans began to fade away until the only sound Emma heard was Regina breathing.

After a moment Emma felt the soft touch of Regina's fingers lightly caressing her cheek. "Oh Emma." There was so much emotion in Regina's voice that it made Emma's heart skip a beat. "I pray he didn't hurt you my dear. I'm so sorry this happened to you. But I'm here now, I won't let anything happen to you." Regina pulled her closer into a hug and Emma wished she could hug her back right then, but her arms wouldn't work and her eyes wouldn't open. She tried to tell Regina she was in love with her but a low moan was all that escaped from her mouth.

"Shh." Emma felt fingers touch her lips lightly. "It is alright my dear, you don't need to speak. Robin is calling your father now and he will be here to take you home soon." Regina moved some hair from Emma's face. "Oh Emma." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Can you hear me dear?" Emma couldn't even nod her head in response, but she thought that maybe she didn't want to say yes right then.

"I'm sorry you had to find out about my engagement that way Emma." There was a sadness in her voice now that made Emma's heart break. "I-I, Emma you have to understand how controlling my mother is. It's not that I don't love Robin, he's a wonderful man, a good man. I do love him." Regina's voice hitched just then and then she spoke in a near whisper. "But, I'm not in love with him."

Something that felt like hope filled her heart just then. "My heart belongs to another." Emma felt soft lips touch her forehead. _Why can't I move? Why can't I talk right now? Damn it all to Hell!_ "It always has, and it always will."

"Emma! Emma!" Her father's voice boomed and she heard him coming closer. "It's Dad! Where are you?"

"Sheriff Nolan! She's in here!" She heard Regina shout and the sound of her father's footsteps running faster.

"Emma! Emma, it's okay." She felt herself move from Regina's arms into her father's. "I'm here honey. I'm here now and you're safe." Although she was glad her father was there, she felt the loss of Regina's touch.

"Did you arrest him?" Emma heard the anger in Regina's clipped statement.

"He's in the back of my squad right now, the little bastard." She was able to tell by the sound of his voice how heated her father was. "Did he drug her?"

"Yes, I believe he put something in her drink. He kept giving her drinks as soon as she walked in."

"She was drinking?" She was going to be in trouble and for a minute she wished she could stay in this drugged state rather than have to be scolded by her father. "She needs to get to the hospital, but I have to get that asshole in his cell. Regina, I hate to ask but"

"I'll take her right away sheriff. If you could carry her to my car we'll leave right away." Regina had cut him off and she could hear from the sound of the bed that Regina had stood quickly.

"Thank you Regina. I will be there as soon as I toss that piece of garbage behind bars. Let's go." They were moving quickly and Emma could hear the sound of Regina's heels clicking rapidly behind her. Emma felt them moving up the stairs. The music was no longer playing and she could hear people talking as they moved through the crowd.

"Make a hole people!" Her father commanded loudly and she felt her feet periodically brush people as they passed them. She caught her name being whispered along with Neal's name. Emma didn't know how she would ever live this down.

The cooler air on her skin told her that she was outside now. "Oh my God Emma!" That was Ruby's voice, she sounded worried. "Is she going to be okay?" Her watery voice told Emma that her friend had been crying.

"Regina's taking her to the hospital right now." She felt herself being lowered into a car seat. She smelled leather and Regina, the seats were so soft that she could fall asleep in them. In fact she was feeling very tired all of a sudden.

"I'll follow you in my car Regina." Ruby was saying and her voice was fading away, it either meant that she was running to her car or Emma was slipping into unconsciousness. There was a kiss on her forehead that she recognized as her father's.

"I'll see you soon sweetie." Her seatbelt clicked and the car door closed. "Regina be careful, but I'm authorizing you to go over the speed limit."

"I'll get her there quickly and safely sheriff, you have my word." A car door shut and the engine started. The motion from the car made her sway slightly in the seat and Emma felt a hand grasp hers. "Hold on my love. Hold on." She heard Regina's whisper and then she slipped away into a deep and dreamless sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

The tires of the black Mercedes screeched to a stop leaving black marks in front of the hospital. Regina killed the engine and looked over at Emma, panicking. The blonde looked pale and Regina was terrified for a moment. She leaned over, putting her ear very close to Emma's parted lips. Relief flooded through her as she felt Emma's even breathing on her skin. She felt goosebumps spread all over her from realizing she was so close. She looked at Emma's peaceful face, she appeared to be only sleeping and not drugged by her monster of a stepbrother.

For a second she was so tempted to kiss her, it would be so simple to close the distance between them and press her mouth gently against the beautiful lips that were making her heart race. She bit her bottom lip and then chased the thought from her mind. She would not take advantage of Emma like this, no matter how much she wanted to kiss her she would not be like Neal. If it were ever meant to be it would be Emma's choice, she cared for her too much to take from her what Emma wouldn't give her freely.

Snapping out of her trance she jumped out of the car and ran into the emergency room doors. "Please! I need help! My friend needs help!" The waiting room was empty except for one nurse who was seated behind a desk. The nurse's eyes bugged open and she tossed the magazine she was reading away. "Please! She's in my car! She's been drugged! She needs a doctor!" Regina was screaming and near hysterical, to her it seemed like the nurse was moving in slow motion. The nurse snatched the public announcement mic from her desk.

"Emergency! Doctor to the ER! STAT!" The older woman moved swiftly and grabbed a wheelchair, she followed behind Regina out to the car. Regina almost ripped the passenger side door off the car and immediately regretted it because Emma slumped out and would have fallen to the ground but for the seatbelt having saved her. Her heart skipped a beat and she wrapped Emma in her arms and carefully unbuckled her.

"We've got her now." She turned to the male speaker and saw two orderlies alongside the nurse. Reluctantly she let go and let the men lift Emma and place her in the wheelchair.

"Be careful with her!" Regina admonished them, mostly from fear and not any real rancor towards the orderlies. "Please." She followed them as they rolled her through the doors and inside. A young man who appeared to be her age was waiting for them inside the lobby, he was wearing scrubs and a stethoscope. _He couldn't be a doctor! He's far too young!_ Regina felt her temper build as the man stopped them to ask questions.

"What do we have here?" The young blonde doctor said in a tone that began to try Regina's patience.

"She's been drugged! You idiot! Are you even a doctor?" Regina raised her arms above her head in exasperation.

He tilted his head at her in a condescending way that made her want to rip his head right off his neck. "I'm an intern, my name is Whale." She shook her head in disbelief and right before she could snap at him he held his hands up. "But I think I can handle an OD."

"An OD?!"

"Now what did she take?" He furrowed his eyebrows as if she was going to tell him a secret.

"She didn't _take_ anything you moron!" Regina was nearly lightheaded with anger over the way this man was treating the situation. "She was drugged! Someone drugged her! Now get a _real_ doctor or so help me I will flay the flesh from your worthless bones!". Whale gulped and stepped back timidly.

"Nurse, take her into room two and call Doctor Green." He said with a slight tremor in his voice. After a moment of stillness where everyone watched the heat shoot from Regina's eyes, they all exploded into action again as Emma was wheeled down a hallway. Regina followed closely as they headed through a set of double doors. She was stopped by Whale, who held a hand up blocking her progress. "Someone will come and get you once we are done working." He smirked at her, obviously pleased at being able to exercise some power over the woman who had just cut him down. "There's coffee if you want some." He ducked back behind the doors, leaving a furious Regina standing with her fists clenched so tight that her nails drew blood from her palms.

By the time she made her way back into the lobby, the sheriff and his wife burst through the doors. The panic stricken look on their pale faces brought fresh tears to Regina's eyes and her heart nearly broke in two for what Emma's parents must be going through.

"Regina!" His eyes held a panicked look that Regina imagined only a parent with a child in danger could show. "Where is she?"

"They took her and said that I couldn't go back there." Her voice shook and she tried to compose herself, she wouldn't be any help to Emma's parents if she fell apart in front of them now.

"Is she okay?" Mary Margaret's eyes were puffy and red, the color contrasting sharply with her snow white complexion.

"I don't know." Regina's voice was barely audible as she looked down at her hands, clenched together in front of her and squeezed together so hard that her fingers ached. She was wrapped into a hug by Emma's mother and after the initial shock of the intimate contact, both women crumpled into each other and cried into each other's shoulders.

Someone cleared their throat and the three who had been standing in the deserted waiting room saw that they had been joined by Whale. "Sheriff, Mrs. Nolan. Emma's okay and being moved to a room now." It was as if they had been drowning, their lungs choked for air, then suddenly they could breathe freely. The tension began to lift from the waiting area. "It will be a few minutes for us to get her situated, then you can go in and see her." At that moment he leveled a pointed look at Regina. "Family only of course." He turned smartly and left a seething Regina behind him, her fists clenched in anger at her sides. Then there was a comforting hand covering her shoulder.

"Don't worry. We will let you see her." Mary Margaret looked at her with watery eyes and a smile of understanding that was mirrored by the sheriff. Regina felt a warmth inside her chest from the compassion of Emma's parents.

"Thank you." Her voice was soft and filled with emotion.

David's shoulders and back straightened as he adopted his role from worried parent to sheriff of Storybrooke. "Alright, can you tell me what happened at the party?"

After taking a deep breath and exhaling to steady herself she began to speak. "Emma and I had been talking and then Neal" her face contorted into disgust as she spat his name. "Took her inside the mansion. He had been giving her drinks ever since she had arrived."

A sharp intake of breath came from Mary Margaret. "Emma was drinking?" David patted her arm as if to tell her that now was not the time for that. He would become a disappointed father later, for now he had to be the sheriff. "Sorry. Go on Regina."

"I had a bad feeling so after a moment I convinced Robin to help me look for them. We searched the main floor and didn't find them, on a whim I decided that we should try the basement. There are many rooms down there and, well, it would be less likely that party goers would venture down that far. Finally we came to the room and when I opened the door, I saw them. He was on top of her and" At that moment her voice cracked and she pulled her hand to her mouth as tears sprang to her eyes. The image of Emma like that would haunt her for the rest of her life.

Although his jaw visibly tightened in anger David was able to keep his voice calm and steady. "It's alright Regina, take your time." She nodded, still unable to speak as her body trembled from a mix of anger and fear.

"That's when I saw Neal with his pants down and on top of her. If we hadn't gotten there right then, he would have done it."

Mary Margaret sobbed. "Oh Emma." The tears ran down her cheeks and Regina watched as David pulled his wife into his arms as she cried into his chest.

"Why would he do this?" For a moment the sheriff was gone and the angry father appeared in his eyes.

"Because he's scum." Regina's tone was full of wrath and menacing as her eyes burned with fire. "Ever since I met him in New York I knew that he was rotten to the core. His father has spoiled him since birth and made him believe that he can just take whatever he wants, and he wanted Emma. I knew he was a bastard but I never believed that he would do something like this. He's lucky I didn't have a gun because I would have killed him right there." She looked at the sheriff and her eyes showed that she had let the last part slip out and forgot that he was technically law enforcement. "I'm sorry, I-I didn't mean that."

He gave her a grim smile that reflected his comprehension of her emotions. "It's okay Regina, I would have done the same. The law be damned." She nodded, thanking him silently for understanding. "I shudder to think what would have happened had you not been there for her. Regina, we owe you everything. Thank you." He placed a hand on her shoulder and she smiled sadly.

"What's going to happen to him?" Her voice regained the tone of disgust she had before. If it was up to her, Neal would be dragged into the center of town and burned at the stake.

"Well, because it's Friday night he will be spending the weekend in jail because he won't be arraigned until Monday morning. Then there will be a hearing on bail and a trial date will be set, unless he pleads out. Either way, that bastard will not get away with it."

"I should hope not." The british accent caused them all to turn and see Robin enter the waiting room along with a worried looking Ruby. "He needs to pay for what he tried to do."

Ruby ran to Mary Margaret and the older woman hugged the girl tightly. "Is she going to be okay?" Ruby's voice cracked with fear for her best friend. Mary Margaret nodded slowly at Emma's best friend, unable to find her voice just then. Ruby's eyes turned dark as she glowered. "Neal did this." She growled angrily, her teeth flashing fiercely.

"And he will pay for this." The sheriff finished as the group fell silent, not knowing what to say or do. The sound of the emergency room doors swishing open broke the morbid silence of those assembled there. Regina watched with trepidation as her mother and Mr. Robert Gold entered the waiting area. Her brow furrowed in irritation at the sight of the couple, finding it distasteful that they would be here, she was sure that no one wanted to see Mr. Gold.

With an arrogance that nearly made Regina vomit, Mr. Gold strode up to the sheriff with an angry look directed at David. "Sheriff, what's the meaning of locking my son away like some kind of animal!" Mr. Gold's voice echoed against the walls of the waiting room and his words were met with stunned silence from the others.

"Excuse me?" The sheriff's demeanor went from confusion to barely controlled fury in an instant. Mr. Gold didn't back down from the other man and squared his shoulders.

"You heard me sheriff. Why is my son locked up? I demand he be released immediately."

Regina nearly flew at him but Robin held her back by the shoulder. "Your son drugged and then try to rape Emma! He's right where he belongs, in a cage!". Her voice screeched.

Cora Mills folded her arms and looked at Regina with disapproval. "Regina, control yourself. This does not concern you." Regina's mouth fell open and her eyes went wide, her mother was taking Mr. Gold's side. Her blood ran cold as realization dawned over her, Cora Mills was standing by her husband and her stepson and against her own daughter.

Meanwhile, David had not taken his eyes off Robert Gold. "Your son was arrested because he was caught before he could rape my daughter! And I do not take orders from you Gold!" David pointed his finger into the other man's chest hard enough to cause Gold to stagger back half a step.

"But you _do_ take orders from me sheriff." Regina saw her mother lift her nose as she spoke down at David, it was a look that Regina was all too familiar with. Cora Mills saw the sheriff as a civil servant and therefore beneath her, a subordinate who was beholden to her authority as mayor. "Your rash action at rushing to judgement has forced me to intervene in this matter. I have called Judge Spencer and he will be convening an arraignment within the hour."

David felt as though he had been slapped in the face while Regina glared at her mother, expecting nothing less from the woman. "What?! You can't do this!" David growled at the mayor.

Cora Mills scoffed and a cocky grin spread over Mr. Gold's face. "I can and I did _sheriff_. Do I need to remind you that we live in a land where someone is presumed innocent until proven guilty? I will not allow Neal to spend the weekend behind bars just because your daughter had too much to drink."

"My daughter…?" David couldn't finish the sentence and stepped forward menacingly causing the haughty mask to slip momentarily from Cora's face to reveal her sudden rush of fear before she composed herself again. David felt his wife wrap her tiny hand around his wrist and tug him back to her.

"David, please." Her voice was soft but her words cut through the blinding outrage that fogged the sheriff's mind. He inhaled deeply and stepped back but his eyes still held the flame that would have burned Cora to cinders if it were possible.

Regina, however, could not be constrained. "I saw him nearly rape her! He had his pants around his fucking ankles mother! He's a monster!" Regina was nearly coming apart at the seams from a mixture of disbelief and anger directed at her mother.

Cora waved her hand to dismiss her daughter's statement. "It sounds to me as if you walked in on a rather intimate moment between to partygoers. That hardly sounds like a crime to me." Cora chuckled to herself. "More like two young people with high spirits and low morals." It was no secret to anyone who Cora was accusing of having low morals.

"How dare you mother!" Regina could not recall if she had ever been as disgusted with her mother as she was in that moment. Cora narrowed her eyes at her furious daughter.

"Mind yourself Regina, watch your tone." Cora's voice was like stone scraping against stone and her eyes were as cold as ice. The mother and daughter dueled each other with their eyes, this was going to change their relationship forever and both women knew it.

Clearing his throat, Doctor Whale drew the attention of the crowd. "She's awake." He looked to Emma's parents. "You can see her now." David and Mary Margaret quickly followed the doctor and Regina was right behind them until she felt an iron grip on her arm holding her in place. She looked down at the hand, recognizing it from memories that haunted her from as far back as she could remember. The hand that had punished her painfully so many times belonged to the woman who had given birth to her and whose eyes she now stared into, eyes that betrayed the anger inside the woman that her smile attempted to mask.

"Regina," Cora said in a sweet voice that sent chills down Regina's spine. "Let's have a chat, shall we?" There was no question in her voice and Cora expected no answer as she pulled her daughter out of the waiting room and outside.


	8. Chapter 8

Some kind of antiseptic tickled her nose, not quite bleach but definitely some type of cleaning product, nose wiggling she tried to push the scent out. The bed felt weird, not soft like she was used to, she was sitting up, the angle wouldn't let her lay flat. Someone was holding her hand, rubbing their thumb gently over it, applying just the right amount of pressure. She would know that touch anywhere, it having been used to soothe scraped knees and cuts for as long as she could remember. Prying stubborn eyelids open, the face of her mother came into focus, her brows showing her concern. A hesitant smile grew slowly, pulling the corners of Mary Margaret's lips upward.

"Mom?" Her throat was dry, her voice coming out as a scratchy croak. Sensing her discomfort, her mother reached for the styrofoam cup, holding the straw near Emma's lips.

"Here, drink this. You're probably thirsty." Emma nodded while her lips wrapped around the straw, the cold water felt magical as it cooled her dry throat. Mary Margaret gently moved some of Emma's blonde hair off her forehead, her fingers lingering in her daughter's hair. "How are you feeling?"

Taking another sip of water before she pulled the straw away, thin lips twisted under a scrunched nose. "Fuzzy? Like my head is filled with cotton balls." Her father placed his hand on her forearm, she turned her face to the other side of the bed where he stood with an uneasy smile.

"Do you remember anything? Anything from the party?" His voice was soft although she could still hear the policeman in his words. Attempting to rewind the night was slow going at first, her thoughts first fixing on a certain brunette woman.

"Regina?" Mary Margaret nodded, gripping Emma's hand between both of hers.

"She brought you here, do you remember anything before then?" Her mother's blue eyes peered into her's as if she could see the events of the night inside them.

Pieces were assembling themselves in her mind, flashes from the party. Ruby. Regina. Robin. And Neal. Neal with his plastic cups, bringing her drinks again and again, pushing them into her hands. Walking with him, not really walking being led downstairs, pulled by the arm dragged. Neal closing a door, a room with a bed and being lowered onto it, feeling as if she was falling. Weight holding her down, his weight, laying on top of her and touching her. She could see his teeth, bared and mean, his eyes raking up and down her body. Those hands everywhere, her skirt and his pants down, Neal pressing himself against her. Hot breath on her face that reeked of alcohol, burning her eyes and causing tears to fall. Maybe the tears weren't from the harsh scent after all.

"He tried to-" Unable to finish her sentence she slammed her eyes shut and shook her head, pushing the image of his twisted face from her memory.

"He didn't." David said with certainty. "He was stopped."

"Regina!" Emma's eyes sprang open while the face of her rescuer flashed in her mind. "She found me, her and Robin. They stopped him, pulled him off me."

David grimly nodded. "He drugged you Emma. If they had gotten to you a moment later-"

Mary Margaret shook her head, derailing the course of his statement. "But he didn't, Regina _felt_ that you were in trouble. She found you." Her smile seemed to hold more meaning than she verbalized.

Her hands fumbled together over the blanket, Emma's eyes suddenly finding them very interesting so that she did not have to look at her parents. She felt small, as if she was eight years old again and had touched her father's service weapon, it had been left by David on the kitchen counter when he had answered a call on his cell phone. Her father had shouted at her, but it had been out of fear and not anger, fear that he had almost lost his daughter because of his carelessness. Emma felt that she had done something bad, she felt that she had let him down. That's what she was feeling right now, that she had put herself in danger and let her parents down.

"I'm so sorry." It was a whisper and her parents had to strain to hear it, then allow the words to process in their minds. After they comprehended what she said, they quickly sprang into action and both wrapped their arms around their weeping daughter, sandwiching her in the middle.

"Emma, no, it's not your fault sweetie!" Her mother gripped her tightly, like when she would hurt herself outside playing basketball or riding her bike.

"We don't blame you honey, you did nothing wrong." David's voice was soothing just like the gentle kiss he placed on the top of her head. Emma allowed the warm feeling wash over her for a moment, but then the guilt returned and chased the feeling away.

"If I hadn't been drinking he wouldn't have-" She gulped and was about to continue but her father hushed her.

"It's okay. He did this, Neal tricked you. We're not mad over the alcohol. He would have drugged you if it was only punch or soda. He had planned this Emma, planned it from the start." She could hear the conviction in her father's voice and it made her believe what he said. Neal would have done it even if she was drinking water. He had made her a victim.

In that moment, Emma Swan Nolan vowed that she would never be a victim again.

"Is Regina here? Could I see her?" She asked after her parents backed away from the embrace. Her mother's eyes softened and she smiled a knowing smile.

"Of course she is. I'll get her." Mary Margaret kissed her forehead and left the room. Her father sat down in a chair next to her bed and held her hand between his big, strong ones, making her feel like daddy's little girl again and that nothing could ever hurt her.

Outside Regina pulled her arm away from her surprisingly strong grip after having been led out to the parking lot. "Let me go! What are you doing?" Regina felt a mixture of anger and shock at her mother.

"Quiet." Cora's voice came out with the force of a bullet. "You will not make a scene here." Regina's jaw tightened and her lips pressed into a line. Mayor Cora Mills could not be scene in public with an out of control daughter. "Your stepfather and I are handling this situation and you need to keep your mouth shut."

" _Handling the situation?_ " Regina was astonished. "This is not a _situation_ mother!" She spat the last word as if it soured her tongue. "Neal tried to rape Emma! If Robin and I had not arrived when we did then he would have!"

"There was no rape." Cora spoke as if her simply saying the words made it true. "The Nolan girl was drunk and was looking to have sex with the first man she could find. _That's_ what happened."

Regina's blood turned to ice water and her mouth fell open. She looked at the woman in front of her, eyes darting back and forth across the face of the woman who was supposed to be her mother, she couldn't find her, this was someone else. Someone who was rotten to the core.

"You're going to cover this up." Her voice came out as a whisper, not because she wanted privacy from eavesdroppers, but because her voice had gone weak from the shock of her mother's response. "You and your husband." Her strength began to return as the anger inside her began to build. "You are going to blame Emma for this to protect his precious boy!" Outrage was making her voice louder. "I won't let you do this. Neal is not getting away with this."

Cora chuckled icily. " _Let me do this?_ " She mocked her daughter. "As if you have a choice Regina dear. Robert and I are handling this and you will not open your mouth. If you know what's good for you."

"I will not stand by and allow you to drag Emma's name through the mud!"

"You will. You and Robin are going back to London tonight. You will forget this ever happened and you will stay there to be married. If you don't you will be cut off."

Regina laughed humorlessly. "Money? You think you can buy me off?"

Cora's eyes narrowed and her lips curled. "Yes. How would you and Robin enjoy living in a studio apartment somewhere? Hm? I'm sure you could find some nice dresses at Walmart to wear at your job interviews so you can start your career as a waitress? How do you plan on paying off all those student loans? I'll revise my will and leave everything to charity. You will be destitute."

Regina crossed her arms defiantly and leveled a glare at her mother. "I don't need your money. I never wanted it. Just like I never wanted this wedding. You wanted me to marry Robin. You and his family pushed this marriage on me. Just like you pushed going to law school on me, you don't care about my happiness, you never have." Cora chuckled loudly.

"Happiness? Who told you that you were entitled to happiness? Life is not about happiness little girl, life is about taking." Cora closed the distance between the two of them. Though Regina tried to stand her ground she found herself taking a half step back. Years of intimidation from her mother had instilled a fear of the woman that she could not escape from and she hated herself for showing weakness like that. "Taking your success, taking your rightful station in life. You take Regina, and your find your happiness in that." Cora smirked smugly. "As far as your marriage goes, yes you are marrying him because I want it. I don't care what you want. The Locksleys _need_ our money. They may have been a wealthy family once but they have squandered their fortunes, however they still possess the Locksley name, and that name holds prestige. Prestige that will now be linked to ours, so if I have to wed my daughter to a man she doesn't love so our family can rise higher, then I will."

"You don't care about me at all do you?" Regina searched her mother's eyes for any emotion for her daughter at all. She found none, just cold eyes staring back at her.

"You are my daughter Regina. I care about your future, our family's future. I will not let you toss it away." Cora lowered her voice angrily and leaned even further into her daughter until their noses nearly touched. "I will not have you throw everything away for this girl and your compassion for her poor family. You will not disgrace me with your unnatural fixation on that girl." Regina's eyes grew wide. "Oh yes, I know all about this disgusting crush you have on her. It's sickening to think that I gave birth to such a degenerate."

Regina felt like her heart had been shattered, her own mother thought she was an abomination just because of the gender of the person she loved. "I'm not a degenerate." But her voice was so small, so weak. Her eyes fell to the ground and hot tears pricked at them.

"Yes you are." The contempt was practically dripping off of Cora. "You will leave here tonight. You will go back to London and marry Robin. You are never to see this woman or have any contact with her ever again. Do I make myself clear?" Cora waited for an answer, she stared at her daughter and saw Regina slowly raise her head with hatred in her eyes and tears pouring down her face.

"No. I won't do it. You can't make me." Her voice shook again, but this time it shook with rage.

Cora stepped back and crossed her arms, she almost respected her daughter for growing a backbone and defying her, almost. Her lips curled into a cruel smile. "Imagine if it got out that the sheriff was involved in taking bribes, or perhaps drugs? Or that wife of his, what if the news reported about her sick abuse of her students? It would destroy the Nolans in Storybrooke. They would have to move of course, but the stories would follow them. I would see to that. I would ensure that they wouldn't have a penny to their name. Imagine your pretty little Emma being forced to sell her body on the street just to be able to eat. If you think that I wouldn't do that if you defy me, then you have no idea what I am capable of."

Regina couldn't move, her feet felt frozen to the ground and her lungs had stopped working. Her heart raced, her mother would follow through on the threat. If Regina attempted to be with Emma then Cora would destroy her life and the life of her family. She couldn't allow that to happen, even if it meant living her life in sorrow trapped in a loveless marriage. Even if it meant never seeing her again, Regina would sacrifice her future to protect Emma.

"Get in the car." Cora spoke softly, she didn't need to raise her voice anymore. She had won, her daughter had been crushed completely. All the fight had gone out of her, it was evident by her slumped shoulders and her trembling lips. She watched as Regina shuffled her feet to the car where the driver held the door open for her. Cora smiled as the door shut on her defeated and formerly defiant daughter. "Good girl."

"Sweetie, I'm going to go make a call to the station and then grab a coffee." David was getting to his feet and gave his daughter one last squeeze before letting go of her hand. "Do you want me to get you something?"

Emma frowned. "No. I'm not hungry." Her father held back a chuckle.

"Not hungry? Well that's a new one! What have you done with my daughter?" Emma swatted his forearm playfully as she scowled at him.

"Can you see if Regina is coming?" Emma asked, feeling shy all of a sudden.

David stopped at the door with his hand on the knob. "Sure thing kiddo." As he opened the door Ruby came barreling in causing him to sidestep or he would have been trampled.

"Sorry Mr. Nolan." Ruby said absently, barely glancing at him, her worried eyes were fixed on her best friend. "Emma! Are you okay?" Ruby grabbed her in a hug so tight that Emma almost had the wind knocked out of her. David grinned at his daughter and then with a nod he left the room, closing the door quietly behind him.

"I _was_ fine Ruby." Emma groaned overdramatically as Ruby released her from her grip. "I might have some broken ribs now though." Ruby shoved her playfully as she sat down on the bed next to Emma.

"When they brought you upstairs at the party I was so scared Em!" Ruby's lipped trembled and tears welled in her eyes making Emma's eyes grow misty as well. "If Regina hadn't found you-I-don't know what would have happened." Emma put her hand on Ruby's and smiled, trying to comfort her friend.

"Hey, I'm okay now." Emma spoke softly.

"I'm sorry I left you Emma." Ashamed, Ruby looked down at her hands unable to meet the eyes of her friend. Emma quickly moved her hands to cup either side of Ruby's face, forcing her to look up.

"Hey! Listen to me. Don't blame yourself, because I don't." Emma said with a gentle smile. "What happened is nobody's fault but Neal's." Emma's face turned dark with anger. "And my dad is going to make him pay. Ruby looked uncomfortable suddenly and Emma cocked her head to the side with a quizzical look. "What?"

"Em-" Ruby began slowly. "Gold is trying to get Neal out." Emma's eyebrows flew up.

"What?" Emma's eyes darted side to side and her breathing sped up. "Who does he think he is? He can't do that!"

"He thinks he can. He thinks because he has the money and his wife is the mayor that he and Neal are above the law." Ruby grumbled.

Emma shook her head as she tried to make sense of it all. The thought that Neal might go free was making her queasy. "Where's Regina? I need to see her."

Ruby exhaled. "Cora took her."

Emma frowned. "What do you mean? She's gone?"

"Cora grabbed her and dragged her outside and they never came back. Then Robin got a call and he said that Cora told him to get to the airport. They're flying out tonight."

She couldn't believe her ears. "Where-where is she going?" Her voice was soft.

"Back to London. They're getting married tomorrow. I'm so sorry Emma." She watched Emma slump back onto her pillow, deflated. Emma felt the tear roll slowly down her cheek.

Many years later, Emma would look back on that night and know that was when her whole life changed.


	9. Chapter 9

Afterword Emma felt like the town of Storybrooke had fallen under a dark curse. To her it was like the sun never dawned again, it was all night forever, no light, no hope. True to his word Mr. Gold had maneuvered Judge Spenser to arraign Neal the morning after his arrest. To the shock of everyone, save Mr. Gold and Cora, the charges were completely dismissed. The district attorney refused to press charges, the only witnesses to the event were Regina and Robin and both were out of the country. There was no evidence to suggest that anything had happened between Emma and Neal that was not consensual, nothing to indicate that she had not brought and taken the drug. Only her parents and Ruby would say that Neal had attempted to rape her and they had not been in the room to witness the event. The other party goers could only say that they had seen Neal and Emma go down to the basement together and Emma did not appear to resist in anyway.

Neal was on a flight back to England as soon as he left the courtroom, and that was that, he would never face justice for what he had tried to do. Mr. Gold had won and there was nothing they could do about it. It seemed like a pall had settled over the town after that and everything changed.

Day after day her father faced pressure from the mayor's office on anything and everything. He was forced to hire a new deputy, a man named Killian Jones from London. Killian was an associate of Mr. Gold and it was obvious from his first day that he was there to watch and report on the sheriff. Whenever there was any question about Mr. Gold's business dealings it was Killian's job to slow down any investigations and inform Gold right away. After forcing Killian on the sheriff, Cora refused to allow David to hire his daughter as a deputy, her reasoning was that there was only enough money in the budget for one deputy, an experienced deputy and not a trainee. David _was_ able to hire Emma as a dispatcher which became one of the only victories he would get against Cora and Gold.

Emma hated her job because it forced her to be around Killian, he constantly flirted with her whenever her father was not around. Killian thought of himself as a ladies man and Emma was his target. Even if she had been heterosexual she would not have been attracted to Killian Jones because she knew he was in Gold's pocket, the whole town knew. The fact that he worked for the man who had kept her from getting justice made her skin crawl whenever he was around, and he was around all the time.

The pressure was getting to her parents, pressure from Cora and pressure from Gold's influence around town. People complained to David all the time about how Gold was buying up most of the businesses in town, if he couldn't buy them he would run them out of business. All the rental properties belonged to him, and he would raise the rent of anyone he didn't like until they were forced to move out. David felt impotent, there was nothing he could do to help the people of Storybrooke. Emma watched as her once proud father became a shell of his former self, he slumped as he walked where he had once walked proudly, almost regally.

It was putting a strain on her parent's marriage, where there was once constant displays of affection there were now snippy comments and silent dinners. Mary Margaret had lost her job due to 'budget cuts' at the school and she was finding it impossible to find work anywhere in town. Emma moved out to try and help alleviate some of the financial pressure at home, and to stay away from the palpable tension that existed in the house.

Most of her days would consist of working at the station and then coming home to her empty apartment. At least twice a week she would have dinner at her parents, usually an awkward and quiet affair. Weekly she would talk to Ruby on the phone, hearing about what a great time she was having attending college in Boston. Secretly Emma was jealous of her best friend. Ruby seemed to be moving forward in life, growing and changing, while Emma felt stuck, trapped in a maze that had no way out.

"Hey Rubes." Emma answered her phone while she lowered the volume on her television, hoping that her voice sounded light enough so as not to have her friend ask her what was wrong. "How's life in the big city?"

"What's wrong Em?" She hadn't been fooled.

"Who said anything was wrong?" Emma tried once again to sound cheerful and failed miserably.

"Cut the shit Em." Ruby's voice was stern but kind, she felt for her friend who just couldn't seem to catch a break and be happy. "I can _see_ the dark cloud hanging over your head all the way from here. What's got you so down?"

She sighed and slumped further down in her couch, wishing that it would just swallow her up in its cushions. "I don't know Ruby, it just feels like Storybrooke has turned into some kind of, I don't know, a prison I guess. Everyday is the same, it's like Groundhog Day."

"You need to get out of there Emma." Everytime they talked on the phone Ruby would plead to her friend to pick up stakes and move to Boston. Lately the idea was becoming more and more appealing to her. "I don't know why you're staying up there. It sounds like Gold and Cora are turning the city into a shithole. From the reports I get from Granny, those assholes have bought up everything in town and are treating everyone there like servants." Ruby's voice turned serious. "How is Granny looking by the way? She hasn't been sounding good lately."

Emma wanted to be tactful, she didn't want to worry Ruby, but Granny did appear tired lately, where she was once a spunky woman with a quick wit and sharp tongue, now she rarely smiled and was often curt nearly to the point of being rude. "She's okay. I think she should probably hire more help you know."

There was a long pause down the line and Emma could almost hear her friend's stomach churn with worry. "Maybe I should come back for a little while." Ruby finally said, her voice soft and thoughtful.

"No, Granny would kill you if you left school Rubes, you know that."

"It would just be for a semester or so." Ruby sounded like she was trying to convince herself.

"She'll be fine, like I said once she gets some help she'll be just fine. Don't worry about it."

He was on his third Scotch of the night and he looked miserable. Regina watched him out of the corner of her eye as she pretended to read the book she was holding. She was seated with him on the couch, both on either end with an uncomfortable distance separating them. He stared at the flames coming from the fireplace they were seated in front of in their small but expensive flat in London. Neither had spoken in the last thirty minutes, they were used to the silence between them, there was nothing for them to talk about ever since the wedding.

In the months after the wedding Robin had stopped trying to be affectionate with her, she didn't blame him, primarily because it was her fault. Regina just couldn't pretend anymore, she could not find it in herself to muster the energy to pretend to be the happy wife married to the man she loved. Regina felt sorry for Robin, he didn't deserve to be trapped in a loveless marriage, he was a good man but he had been caught in her mother's web, manipulated like a chess piece just like she had been all her life. Now he drank, a lot, she knew it was his way to cope and she let him, although she did worry about his health.

"How long must we continue this charade Regina?" His voice made her jump, startling her, his voice wasn't raised, it was conversational, but the fact that he was trying to actually converse surprised her.

"I-I'm sorry?" She wasn't entirely what he was referring to and her voice came out raspy from not using it for so long.

He finally turned to her and she could see the bags under his eyes, the tired expression on his face, there was no anger in his stare, just exhaustion. "This so called marriage, how long must we keep playacting like this? For the rest of our lives?"

She looked down at her lap and closed her book softly before placing it on the table in front of her. She did not meet his gaze, instead focusing on her hands curled in her lap, after taking a deep breath she whispered her reply to him. "I'm sorry Robin."

He grunted a laugh with no humor in it. "You keep saying that." She finally looked at him and saw the weary grin he was trying to hold. "I don't blame you Regina. You were played just as I was." His eyes grew dark and he turned his glance back to the flames. "Played by our parents. Your mother with her designs on climbing the social ladder, and my parents desperate to regain their fortune through Mr. Gold's ill gotten gains." His voice was filled with bitterness.

"How long have you known?" She asked after a while, not attempting to deny what he had said. It was the truth.

He exhaled tiredly. "I suppose I finally saw the truth on the night of the party. It was obvious how much you cared for Emma, the intensity of your feelings for her was something I had never received from you." Her eyes began to glisten with unshed tears and her face reflected her empathy for his misery. He gave her a forgiving smile. "There is no need for you to feel sorry for me Regina." He said as if he had read her mind. "I entered this union just like you, knowing that it was a farce. But how much longer must we continue this? Because it is killing me and I can see how much you are suffering as well."

She cocked her head and looked at him, for the first time in a while she really looked at him and saw something in his eyes, something that she had not seen in quite some time. "What's her name?" She gave him a small smile that he returned after a moment.

"Her name is Marion. I met her a few months ago." The look on his face showed her what he was feeling inside, he looked as if he was glowing when he spoke her name.

"You love her." It wasn't a question, it was a statement because his eyes told her the story. "I'm so happy for you Robin."

"She's wonderful Regina, you would like her. She's smart, she's funny, she's a lot like you actually. Except-" He stopped himself and looked away. She reached out and placed a hand on his forearm.

"Except she loves you." She finished for him. He simply nodded as he met her eyes again.

"I want to be with her Regina. I want to spend the rest of my life with her." He pleaded to her and Regina wished that she had the power to set him free, but she didn't.

"You should, you deserve to be with her Robin."

"And you deserve to be with Emma."

Regina shook her head. "But we can't. You know we can't. They would never allow it." She sighed in frustration. "Besides, I don't even know if Emma feels the same way about me. We've never talked about it. Sometimes I feel silly carrying this torch for the woman, not even knowing if I ever cross her mind." Her eyes suddenly grew warm, feeling the tears growing and this time she let a few fall. "But I can't stop the way I feel about her Robin, my heart won't let me."

"Don't _try_ to stop it Regina. Your heart knows the truth. Allow yourself to feel love." He wiped the tears from her cheek with his thumb as he held her face in his hands. She smiled and they embraced, not as lovers but as two friends caught in an impossible situation. "What are we going to do Regina?" He asked as he held her.

"I don't know Robin. I just don't know." She cried into his arms as the wood crackled and burned in the fireplace.

Emma stepped out of her car after parking in front of Ruby's apartment building, not noticing that her phone slipped out of her coat pocket and onto the ground near her feet. As she turned to grab her duffel bag in the back seat, filled with enough clothes for a few days, she heard a crunching sound and felt an object underfoot.

"Shit!" She lifted her leg quickly, hoping that the quick action might somehow lessen the damage. Her hopes were dashed however when she saw the cracked screen and the tiny plastic pieces around her ruined phone. She knelt down and picked up the shattered remains, in a futile gesture she pushed the home button and was greeted with nothing but a black screen.

"Great! Just great!" With an angry grunt she shoved the pieces in her pocket and snatched her bag out of the car, slamming the car door hard. Stomping and muttering to herself how she couldn't afford to replace her broken phone she stepped into the building and angrily buzzed the intercom to Ruby's apartment.

"Hello?" Came the unsure voice through the small speaker.

"Surprise." Emma snapped in irritation, unable to even fake the enthusiasm that should accompany the surprise visit to her best friend.

"Emma? Is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me." Her voice was defeated and hollow, her mood ruined.

"Hey girl! I'll buzz you up!" The noise of the lock signaled her to enter and Emma yanked on the door, hoping that she wouldn't pull it off its hinges. _What a way to start off! What else could go wrong?_ She thought to herself as she began the climb up to the third floor.

David sighed, he drove his patrol car toward the docks, he was tired and he needed to get out of the sheriff's office. The seven drunks he currently had looked up in the cells were driving him crazy with their squabbling, they had gotten a little too rowdy at The Rabbit Hole. The roughest bar in Storybrooke seemed to be the favorite hangout for the new worker's at Gold's fishery. Gold was hiring a lot of rough types for his latest business venture and David didn't like it one bit. His calls for drunken disorderly had skyrocketed since the fishery started production, for some unknown reason Gold had only employed outside workers to staff the place and they were proving to be less than model citizens.

Everyone in Storybrooke had a problem with the new workers, everyone that is except his new deputy Killian Jones. His deputy was very friendly with the men and knew a few of them by name, something that rubbed David the wrong way. He already had a problem with Killian, his familiarity with Gold and his men did not help to ease his mind in any way.

The fishery was very busy by the time David arrived, third shift was when most of the production took place and it had the hairs on the back of the sheriff's neck standing up. It seemed odd that Gold was doing the bulk of his work under the cover of darkness, as if he wanted to keep prying eyes away. David stopped the patrol car a good distance away from the building and killed the engine, he didn't want to tip off the workers that the sheriff was poking around. As he got closer he frowned when he saw Killian's patrol car parked near the entrance gate, _What was Killian doing there?_ This development changed David's plan, he had planned to take a tour and enter through the front gate, but now he decided to sneak around through the docks, away from the eyes of the workers.

A few minutes later David had successfully eluded the armed guards that patrolled the perimeter, _Why did Gold need armed guards? And so many of them too._ He came to a window in the main building and peeked inside, there was Gold along with Killian conversing, while men all around them were loading boxes into trucks. He watched as Gold stopped one of the men and had him open the box he was carrying, Killian produced a knife and handed it to Gold. Taking the blade Gold sliced something inside the box that David couldn't see from his vantage point, Gold raised the blade that had a white substance on the tip and David's blood ran cold. The wealthiest man in town lifted the knife to his nose and inhaled the white powder, he smiled at Killian and sent the worker holding the box on his way.

Gold was running drugs, in Storybrooke, right under his nose and his own deputy was in on it. David suddenly felt something poke him in the back. "Hey sheriff, what are you doing here? You got a warrant?" David heard the rough voice and turned to see one of the guards pointing a gun at him. He slowly raised his hands in front of his chest.

"It's a crime to point a gun at the sheriff." David said slowly to the man, trying to keep his voice down. "And dangerous too!" With a quick lunge he grabbed the man's gun arm by the wrist and used his other fist to punch the man squarely in the jaw. Taking the opportunity, David broke into a sprint toward his patrol car. He heard a gunshot behind him and raised voices, he never turned back around he just kept pumping his legs and arms, closing the distance to the car as fast as possible.

Reaching the car he started the engine and sped away at top speed, racing through the streets of Storybrooke. In minutes he arrived at home and jumped out of the car, leaving the engine running while he burst through the door. "Mary Margaret!" He cried and saw his wife jog out of the kitchen with a puzzled look on her face.

"David? What's wrong?" She asked and then grew anxious as she observed the look on her husband's face. He grabbed her by the wrist and began pulling her towards the door and outside.

"We have to leave right now!" His voice was frantic and almost afraid, she had never heard that tone from her husband before.

"David you're frightening me! What's wrong?"

"I'll tell you in the car, grab your phone and call Emma." He practically pushed her inside the car and slammed the door shut. "Tell her we are on our way to Boston." Mary Margaret paused to look at him, still in shock. "Right now!" He peeled out of the driveway and headed out of town.

"I'm just getting her voicemail!" Mary Margaret's hands were shaking and her face was ashen, as David ripped the phone from her hand.

"Emma! It's your father, your mother and I are heading to you right now!" He was shouting his message into the phone when his eyes caught sight of something heading his way fast. The flashing lights on the patrol car in front of him grew brighter as the car got closer. "Oh no." David said in almost a whisper.

"David look out!" Mary Margaret cried out.

David jerked the wheel attempting to get around the patrol car that was barreling toward them. He evaded the car, jerking the wheel hard to the right, but lost control on the slick road and gripped the steering wheel helplessly as the car skidded toward the trees.

David and Mary Margaret linked hands and shared one last look deep into each other's eyes as the car slammed into the tree at top speed.


	10. Chapter 10

The Storybrooke cemetery was crowded with nearly every person that lived in the small town that day. Mother Nature had decided to attend the funeral as well, presenting herself as a cold and steady rain that pelted the mourners who huddled around under black umbrellas as tears mingled with raindrops. Emma stood next to Ruby, inside she felt numb, her emotions had been rubbed raw and felt blunt and dull. There was a low buzzing that seemed to be running under her thoughts, distracting her from reality, making it impossible to concentrate on anything or anyone. She would welcome a feeling, any feeling, anger, sadness, but instead she felt only a separation from everything, looking out of eyes that were not her own.

Ruby's soft sobs would shake her and rouse her thoughts back into focus and force her to confront the reality she now found herself living in. After some words by the officiant that she barely heard, the coffin slowly lowered into the wet and muddy ground, the slow movement made Ruby vibrate with low whimpers and Emma tightened her grip as she hugged her friend's shoulder. Granny Lucas was gone now, and with her death Ruby had lost her last blood relative while the town of Storybrooke lost one of its most prominent and beloved citizens.

It had been a month of heartache for the both of them with tragedies coming one after the other, rapid fire like a machine gun. Ruby had received the call about her parent's accident just minutes after Emma arrived at Ruby's apartment in Boston, Emma had barely put down her duffel bag down before the two of them were racing back to Storybrooke in Emma's car. Shock had held the tears back until Emma arrived at the hospital and saw her parents in the ICU. They both looked so small and weak, hooked up to so many hoses and monitors, covered with bruises and cuts, barely resembling the people who had raised her. Emma had crumbled into her friend and relied on Ruby to hear what the young Doctor Whale said about their condition, how they were both in comas and that the prognosis was grim. The first twenty four hours were a nightmare, Whale had said that if they survived the day then there was a good chance that they might pull through. Her father was the stronger of the two that night, Mary Margaret however had coded on two separate occasions and Emma was convinced on both occasions that her mother would die. But Mary Margaret had somehow pulled through and by the next day they were both in critical but stable condition and Emma's nerves had completely short circuited and she was running on fumes.

Granny had put both girls up in her home as Emma couldn't be left alone. Ruby was a rock that Emma could lean on but she was being torn apart as well. Her grandmother looked terrible, she was exhausted and shuffled her feet when she moved. Her grandmother's words were slurred and her thoughts would get jumbled causing her to ramble and then trail off into silence. It was heartbreaking for Ruby to see the once strong woman fade away right before her eyes, like a shadow disappearing under the noon sun . After a few weeks home Ruby went to wake her grandmother and discovered that she had passed away in the night, Eugenia Lucas had a stroke and died peacefully in her sleep.

Now the two women found themselves adrift and alone having no one except each other to see them through the darkness they found themselves trapped in. The investigation into the accident left much to be desired for Emma. The newly appointed sheriff Killian Jones surmised that David had lost control on the road possibly through operator error or trying to avoid a deer, they were known to dart back and forth along that stretch of road. Emma didn't buy it, her father was a great driver, something about the whole thing seemed off. Her parents home looked like they left in a rush, there was even evidence that Mary Margaret had been in the middle of preparing dinner. Emma couldn't understand why they were on the road out of town in the middle of the night without even having an overnight bag in the car.

It was frustrating and enforced Emma's negative feelings for her hometown, it was rotten to the core and now her parents had succumbed to the black hole that Storybrooke had become. She decided that she was going to transfer them out of the hospital to one in Boston as soon as they were able to be moved, she didn't want anything to do with the cursed town anymore.

Ruby was not so lucky. The diner had been willed to her by her grandmother and as much as Ruby wanted to sell it and leave the town as well, she felt that she owed it to her to stay and run it. Emma tried to talk her out of it but Ruby felt a familial obligation and was resigned to the fact that she would never finish college now, her plans for her future had been dashed and now she was trapped forever in Storybrooke.

The ceremony ended and the mourners began to disperse, a few came by and offered their condolences to Ruby. There was a small wake that was set to take place at the diner and Emma felt obligated to go to support her friend, although she was practically itching to run away from Storybrooke as fast as she could. While Ruby was being comforted by the town therapist, Emma saw the Gold clan standing far off from the other mourners, the mayor and Mr. Gold looked rather disinterested, they had probably only attended because of Granny's status in town and it would reflect poorly on the mayor if she didn't show up.

Then Emma's heart leapt to her throat when she saw Regina standing off to the side away from her mother yet still close enough to be in the older woman's sphere of influence. She was looking directly at Emma and even though they were both a great distance from each other she could see the empathic look of grief on Regina's face. The woman looked as if she wanted to race across the cemetery toward Emma and the blonde wanted to do the same. It struck Emma as odd when she noticed that Robin was not there, perhaps he was staying in London and didn't make the trip over, but knowing how important projecting the perfect image in public was to Cora she thought it was peculiar that Robin was absent.

The mayor seemed to notice the interaction that was happening silently between the two women, perhaps she had sensed the yearning that was emanating from them. With a scowl Cora grabbed Regina by the arm roughly and pulled her toward the waiting limousine, all the while Regina would twist her head to try and keep the eye contact that bound her to Emma. Their connection was broken once Cora placed her in the car and Mr. Gold closed the door. He smirked at Emma before he turned and limped to the other side of the limo and got in, moments later it pulled away and left her staring at it while it left the cemetery.

As she sat alone at the counter on one of the vinyl stools Emma nursed her now cold cup of coffee, swearing to herself that she would leave in the next five minutes either with or without Ruby. It wasn't as if she wanted to leave her friend alone, it was that she couldn't handle another minute of someone coming over to her telling her that they were ' _so sorry'_ about her parents or that they were sending her their ' _thoughts and prayers'_. She wanted to scream and could only imagine what Ruby was feeling, her friend was being practically surrounded with well wishers. Didn't these people realize that they just wanted to be left alone?

Having had her fill of sympathy and grief, Emma stood up and prepared herself to rocket out of the diner when she saw her. Regina was standing near the door, her head was cocked to the side and she was looking at Emma with those brown eyes that haunted her dreams. She was nervously rubbing her gloved hands together and her lips were parted as if the words were stuck in her throat and she was trying to force them to come out. Emma met her gaze and felt the pull of Regina Mills nearly ripping her off the floor and into her arms. Emma tore her eyes away from her and looked over to Ruby who was receiving another serving of _thoughts and prayers_ from someone new. Ruby signaled Emma with her eyes that it was okay for her to leave, having seen Regina enter the diner and knowing how much her best friend wanted to talk with the mayor's daughter.

Without a moment's hesitation Emma flew from the counter and out the door, gently pulling Regina along by the arm, the other woman willingly following behind. Quickly they moved around the building to the alley behind the diner, Emma stopped and looked deep into eyes that swam with unshed tears, just like her own. Slowly a gloved hand rose to Emma's face, tentatively as though with each inch closer it was asking permission to go further. They both held their breath as Regina's hand finally rested gently on Emma's cheek, the blonde woman whimpered just then and closed her eyes, a lone tear burst free and fell down her cheek onto the leather, absorbed instantly into the glove.

"Emma." The name was whispered from Regina's lips with such emotion that they both trembled at the sound. Unable to keep her eyes closed any longer, Emma's lids flew open and her eyes frantically searched the brunette woman's face. Emma was able to read Regina's feelings in her eyes as if they were words printed in a book.

"Regina." In a moment she crashed her lips onto Regina's and felt the other woman instantly wrap her arms around her and pull her close. Their lips were wet from the tears that now mixed and mingled together, merging the same way they were, becoming one. They opened their mouths and brought their tongues together, gently moving them together, exploring each other for the first time.

Their thoughts were the same, both elated that they finally had confirmation of their feelings for each other and the shared sadness over the loss of time they could have spent together. As they became light headed from the lack of air they slowly pulled apart and rested their foreheads together.

"I'm so sorry." Regina sobbed in a whisper and Emma placed her hands on either side of her face and pulled her away to better look into her eyes.

"You have nothing to be sorry about Regina. Nothing." Her voice was firm, surprising herself with the strength of her own words even though her insides were shaking with emotion.

Regina shook her head and closed her eyes, letting more tears fall and wetting Emma's slender fingers. "If I had been brave-if I had the courage to stand up to my mother-oh Emma!" Her words came out like an avalanche, trying to explain years of separation and heartache. Emma would have none of it and quickly pulled Regina in for another kiss, showing that she did not blame her for anything.

Reluctantly they pulled apart again and embraced, each resting their heads on the other's shoulder. "It wasn't your fault Regina, none of it was your fault." The tip of her nose ghosted Regina's and the contact drew Emma's lips to the brunette's again as if they were magnetized and unable to resist the attraction. Emma couldn't help the laugh that built up inside her and escaped through her mouth and into Regina's. "All this time-I just wanted you-only you Regina." Their lips and tongues would not be separated and their hands gripped each other, holding tight, as if for dear life. "This is what I've dreamed about. This moment."

"And I as well my darling." Regina whispered into Emma's ear as they pressed their cheeks together. Emma breathed in the scent of Regina's hair, it reminded her of apples, then she pulled away slightly to stare into the dark amber eyes.

"Where is Robin? Is he with you?" Her brow furrowed and she feared the answer to her question. To her surprise, Regina chuckled and pecked her lips softly.

"He's gone." Emma raised an eyebrow in confusion. "He ran off with a woman he was in love with. We had an understanding and I'm happy for him, he escaped my mother." Regina's face darkened as she mentioned her mother.

"Why didn't you come back?" Emma's voice was vulnerable and soft. "For the trial?" Regina's hand caressed her cheek lightly.

"I wanted to darling, but my mother took both our passports and neither Robin or I could leave the country." She searched emerald eyes for understanding and found it when Emma nodded and gave her a forgiving smile.

"I understand, it wasn't like the DA even tried to get you back for that sham of a trial. Gold had both the prosecution and the defense attorney's in his back pocket." Her grimace at the injustice of it all was quickly overshadowed by the hateful look of disgust that spread on Regina's face.

"Gold is scum Emma." Regina's voice was low and Emma had never heard such fury in it. "His whole family is despicable. They are corrupt and evil, him _and_ his son." Her eyes flashed with fear. "And they are dangerous Emma. Very dangerous."

:"Yeah, I get that vibe from Gold."

"No Emma, you can't underestimate him." Her eyes pleaded for Emma to comprehend. "Whoever he considers an enemy always disappears. He and my mother work side by side." Reluctantly Regina pulled herself out of Emma's arms, crossing her own over her chest as if she felt a sudden chill. "She knows how I feel about you Emma. She doesn't want us together, she thinks I'm a degenerate, that my feelings for you are unnatural." Regina began to sob and it broke Emma's heart. She placed her hands on Regina's shoulder and moved her head down until she locked eyes with the other woman.

"Listen to me, your mother is insane. You are not a degenerate Regina, there is nothing wrong with how we feel about each other." Emma smiled, hoping to convince the other woman of her worth. "It is as right and as pure as any other kind of love that is shared between two people." Regina's eyes sparkled and she smiled so beautifully that it made Emma gasp.

"You-you love me?"

Emma's eyes went wide as she realized what she had said. Her mind moved through her thoughts and feelings swiftly as if she was a computer calculating a complex equation. Faster than the blink of an eye, she knew her answer. "Yes. Yes Regina. I love you more than anything." This time Regina's sobs were cries of joy as she enveloped Emma in a firm and powerful hug.

"Oh darling, darling! I love you too! I always have!" She kissed Emma's lips rapidly as if they would vanish in moments. "And that is why we can not see each other again."

Hearing those words made Emma's heart stop.


	11. Chapter 11

She couldn't speak, it was if her throat had closed up and locked itself up tight like a safe. This couldn't be happening, that can't be what she said or what she meant, this was not how it was supposed to go. They were supposed to be together. They both _wanted_ to be together.

"What-how-I don't understand." Hot tears threatened to blind her and she shook her head from side to side, trying to wake herself from this nightmare. "Regina, I don't understand. Please, help me to understand." She pleaded and grabbed Regina's hands and pulled them to her mouth, kissing the gloved fingers as if that would be payment enough to purchase her dream of being with her.

"Emma. Please. I love you. So, so very much." Regina's tears were falling like a waterfall down her cheeks and streaming from her chin. "That's why I _can't_ be with you. My mother." Her voice cracked and she gasped, desperately trying to get oxygen to her lungs. "She would destroy you Emma. The woman is cruel, it would make her ecstatic to see you suffer. She cares for no one but herself." She shuddered. "Not even her own daughter."

Wanting nothing more than to console the woman she loved as she crumbled before her, Emma reached out to place her hand on Regina's shoulder, only to have the other woman back away shakily. "Regina-I"

"Please don't say that you don't care Emma. Please don't say that it doesn't matter to you what happens. Because _I_ do, I couldn't be the cause of anything bad happening to you. Don't you understand? It would kill me! I love you Emma!" Her pleas tore through Emma's heart. She realized that Regina was only trying to protect her, but just the thought of never being together was the worst kind of pain imaginable.

"I can't do this Regina! There is nothing worse than not being with you!" Emma reached for her but Regina kept backing away, step by step, sobbing as she went.

"I'm so sorry Emma. Please believe me! I love you darling, I always will." With that she turned away and walked swiftly away from her. Emma took a few steps after her and then stopped.

"Regina!" She cried as the woman disappeared around the corner. Emma fell to her knees in the middle of the alley, amidst the discarded boxes and trash bins. "But I love you." She whispered as the tears fell and the sound of high heeled boots running away echoed in her mind.

The home care bills were piling up. Special Agent Emma Nolan sat at her desk and massaged her temples, hoping to fight off the migraine that was threatening to bring some pain to her stress party. Paying for the in home care for her parents was taking just about every last dime from her paycheck, causing her to feel the pressure of living with a financial sword of Damocles hanging over her head. She knew that she was just one expensive emergency away from being forced out onto the streets of Boston alongside her parents. Her mother had been paralyzed from the accident six years ago and lost the use of her legs and was able to take care of herself independently, however the needs of her father made it impossible for Mary Margaret to care for him on her own. David Nolan had never awakened from his coma after the accident, now the same man who seemed like a superman to her as a child, strong and powerful, was a ghost of his former self. He had lost so much weight that it hurt her to look at him, his skin that used to be sunkissed was now pale and gray. What she missed most of all was seeing the light in his eyes that sparkled like fireworks on the Fourth of July. In some ways it felt worse having her father trapped in this hellish Limbo than if he had died in the accident. She hated herself when her thoughts took her there, to that dark place, but seeing her mother live with the heartbreak of having her husband so close physically but a million miles away in all the ways that mattered made Emma wish for closure, one way or the other.

Leaving Storybrooke six years ago was an easy decision for her except for two factors that both weighed heavily on her soul. It felt like she had abandoned Ruby even though her best friend both supported and encouraged her choice to leave and move to Boston. Ruby knew that the town had become toxic and that it was best for Emma to put it behind her. Ruby stressed to her that there was no way that Emma could move on with her life if she remained in Storybrooke, the miasma of misery that hung over the town would smother any hope she had for the future. Now after all the support and encouragement her friend had given her, Emma felt the weight of guilt press heavily on her soul over the status of their friendship. Miles and time had separated the two friends and they slowly began to drift apart. Being busy with her training with the FBI when she first arrived in her new city had kept Emma from communicating with Ruby at all besides an email once a week. Moving into a house and setting up her parents to live with her reduced the time even further that Emma could allow herself to stay in touch, soon the emails turned into quick texts. Now they were hardly speaking, it had been months since Emma had heard anything from Ruby.

She started to feel that Storybrooke was a chapter in her life that had ended. She had no real reason to go back there and she hardly missed it. Especially now that she had Lily. They had met one night months ago when Emma's mother had insisted that her daughter needed to take a break and unwind from work and the stress of taking care of her parents at home. Reluctantly she had gone out by herself to a small bar and decided that she would have one quick drink and then head back home, having satisfied her mother's requirement that she go out. After she had finished her drink and was about to leave, the bartender slid another drink in front of her.

"I didn't order another drink." Emma told him, slightly irritated that the man was trying to get more money out of her. He hitched his thumb over his shoulder and nodded his head toward the end of the bar.

"Yeah, but she did." With that he turned away and busied himself with another customer, leaving Emma alone to frown in confusion as she sought out a glimpse of her mysterious benefactor. There at the other end of the bar sat a dark haired beauty who waved with her fingers in a very flirty fashion. She was hot, Emma admitted to herself. Her dark eyes were hypnotizing Emma and she felt a definite pulling inside her toward the woman. Wondering what she should do next, the choice was snatched away from her when the woman stood up from her stool and walked slowly toward Emma, never breaking eye contact while she swayed her hips slowly from side to side. Emma gulped involuntarily at the allure of sex that seemed to just flow effortlessly from the woman. She felt like a helpless gazelle being stalked by a powerful lioness, helpless to do anything but stand still and wait to be devoured.

"Hi, i'm Lily." Slowly she sat down without invitation on the stool next to Emma. As she spoke, Emma was entranced by her deep lusty voice, and distracted by her tongue as she used it slowly, drawing out the 'L's' in her name.

"Emma." The blonde blinked rapidly, trying to steady her nerves. She hadn't been hit on or even spoken to by another woman when it wasn't work related for so long that she couldn't even recall the last time. Emma hadn't even felt attraction to anyone other than… her.

It hurt to even think her name, so she pushed the thought out of her head and focused on the woman with the seductive smile sitting in front of her.

"You looked like you could use a drink." Lily raised her own glass to her lips, sipping at the brown liquor inside.

"I already had one." Emma tried to play it cool, and leaned back, trying in vain to break the gravitational pull that Lily had her in.

"Yeah, I could see that. But it looked like it didn't do the trick. You drank it fast and you still had that look on your face." Lily leaned closer to Emma and the blonde knew then that if she tried to move back any further she would fall off her stool.

"Oh yeah? What kind of look did I have on my face?" Emma smirked with a little bit of an edge in her voice. _Why am I trying to fight this? It's not like I have someone in my life._ An image of a different brunette flashed in her mind, but Emma put that picture away and locked it in the vault in her heart that she kept all her feelings that hurt too much to acknowledge.

"Loneliness." Lily's eyes reflected understanding to Emma, there was something inside this other woman that seemed to mirror her own heartache. "I recognize the look of someone who would feel alone in a crowded elevator. I figured that you could use some company and I wanted to make sure that was me." She winked at Emma and the blonde could feel herself blush.

"What are you? A psychic or something?" Emma scoffed, realizing that she hadn't denied Lily's insight into her state of mind.

"No, I'm a bail bondswoman." Lily took another sip and Emma decided to join her and sipped her own. _A bail bondswoman?_

"Really? Well you've managed to peak my interest Lily."

The brunette chuckled. "Well that's a start I suppose." She held her glass up to Emma's. "Cheers." Emma returned the toast with a grin.

"Cheers."

After that they fell easily into a relationship, much to Emma's surprise. Lily was smart, she was funny, and she did things in bed that Emma had never imagined was possible. For the first time in a quite a while Emma felt content. Lily was nearly everything she wanted, except for one thing.

Lily wasn't her.

Six years and maybe sixty sentences. That estimate sounded about right to Ruby as she sighed when she saw Storybrooke's Mayor stride purposefully to the counter of Granny's diner. It looked like the dark grey pantsuit was new, or at least Ruby hadn't noticed it before, as always the suit looked expensive and very stylish, the darkness of the suit was offset by a crimson red satin blouse. Her eyes were covered with the dark sunglasses that she wore on most days outside, only taking them off when it rained or at night, her mask that kept other's from trying to get close enough to make small talk. The clicking of her high heeled black boots that rose up her leg halfway to her calves sounding like gunshots, silencing the chatter of the early morning crowd and averting eyes as if looking in her direction was a crime. Her crimson lipstick matched her blouse color perfectly and Ruby wondered if she bought the blouse just to match the lipstick, after all, she had the money to have either the blouse or the lipstick custom made. The lip shade drew eyes to the menacing sneer that had become permanent in the last six years and would change only when they delivered a venomous remark or a cutting barb to any unlucky citizen who happened to be on the receiving end of the mayor's attentions. It was a shame, thought Ruby, because her memory seemed to recall that her smile was beautiful, Ruby knew one person who used to think so.

"Coffee." The order was delivered as if she was an android, precise and succinct, with no emotion and absolutely no desire for a reply. The young waitress was new and Ruby felt sorry for her employee as she saw her start to ask how the mayor took her coffee, she was not about to put the poor girl through the ringer so soon in her food service career.

Placing a hand on the young girl's shoulder Ruby nodded her head to the window. "I got this Scout, table six's eggs are ready." Scout smiled in appreciation and relief and hurried to grab the plate of eggs over easy and scooted away. Ruby grabbed a to go cup and began to pour the coffee. "How's it going Regina?" She braved the question because unlike every other person in town, Ruby was not afraid of Regina, in fact she felt the exact opposite for the woman, she felt sorry for her. Finishing the black coffee with a single spoonful of cane sugar, she placed the lid on the large cup and handed it to the mayor.

Only her lips moved as she replied with one syllable, like a statue, her posture was fixed and rigid, her face frozen. "Fine." Regina placed the money on the counter and swiftly turned away, she never asked for the change. Ruby assumed that it was less about leaving a tip and more about avoiding any kind of social interaction.

Watching the woman march out of the diner, not for the first time in the last six years, Ruby felt sorry for her. She spoke with compassion in her voice as she called out to Regina's back. "Have a nice day Regina." For only an instant Ruby observed the hesitation, the outreached hand that hovered over the door handle for a fraction of a second, the broken beat in the footsteps and the nearly imperceptible movement of the head. Then in a flash she was out the door and already marching down the sidewalk, alone.

Without stopping she called over her shoulder to her secretary, Rebecca, as she opened the door to her office. "No interruptions for the next thirty minutes." No _good morning_ , or _hello_ was given and Rebecca had learned not to expect any. The mayor was curt on good days and down right brusque on bad ones. This appeared to be shaping up to be a bad one.

"Yes ma'am." Was the professional response given to the rapidly closing office door.

Regina advanced to her desk at a slightly accelerated speed and placed her coffee on the polished surface, sloshing the hot beverage inside. With poise she sat down and rolled her chair forward slightly until she could rest her elbows comfortably on the desk. Then her professional veneer cracked and she yanked her sunglasses off and covered her already watery red eyes with her hands and let the tears fall into her palms as her body shuddered with silent sobs. For five long minutes she allowed herself the luxury of crying before she shook her head angrily and wiped her ruined mascara off her cheeks with her hands.

"Foolish girl!" She hissed to herself. "Stop this insipid bawling at once!" Her angry whispers traveled only to her own ears as she punished herself for her weakness. Sniffling, she slid open the top drawer of her desk and removed her mirror and makeup from inside, preparing to reapply her mask for the public. After finishing her repair job, she replaced the items and closed the desk, reaching for her keys in her purse she pulled them out, inserting one into the only drawer that had a lock on it. The sole item inside was a journal that she placed on the desk, eyeing it with a tired and resigned look. Retrieving a pen, she opened the cover and paged halfway through it until she came to a blank page, with a weary sigh she put the tip on the empty line and began to write.

 _My dearest Emma,_

 _I had been strong for almost a week. There had been no need to write in this infernal journal for days because I had successfully stifled my feelings. However today has shattered the fragile cage I had placed around my heart and forced me to once again bare my soul in these pages. As I have written to you previously, that quack of a therapist dreamed up this idea as a way to prevent me from having a nervous breakdown. Who knows if it is effective or not, but at least it allows me to give_ voice _to my feelings instead of just allowing them to churn in chaos in my mind. As you know, I have no one to talk to. Not a single soul besides the therapist who takes my call once a week for our sessions. Having a therapist in New York allows me the peace of mind of knowing that my mother has no idea that I am speaking to him. I absolutely cannot see one in Storybrooke for my mother would discover and quickly force the therapist into revealing every single word that came out of my mouth and use my own words to hurt me._

 _I hate her Emma. I hate her with a fury that frightens and shames me for how can a child feel such loathing for their parent and not be considered a monster? In spite of myself I can't help these feelings! How could I not feel this way toward a woman who gave birth to me but feels nothing but contempt and apathy for her own daughter? A woman who sees my very existence as nothing but a means to an end for her own success. I realize that I am only a tool for her to manipulate for her own benefit, that is all I have ever been or shall ever be. There lies the reason for my rancor, appreciating the truth that she has never loved me._

 _There has only been one person in the world who has ever felt anything for me and she forced me to send her away. For if I was allowed the freedom to love and be loved how could she exercise control over me? So I had no alternative but to push you away and out of my life for I am well aware that her threats are never empty. Had we attempted to be together she would have ruined your life, or even done much worse I fear._

 _I know she killed my father._

 _Although I have no proof, and possibly never will, I know that Cora killed him. Of that I have no doubt. Just as I know that Gold is also a killer and the two of them are the worst kind of villains, having no respect or care for anyone except their own terrible appetites. I am trapped to live with this knowledge. There is no one I can trust with this, no one I can trust not to inform them, no one whose life I could risk by sharing this terrible burden. I can not even speak these thoughts to my therapist, lest he attempt to involve the authorities. I am too much of a coward to risk the man's life that way, even if I do find his counsel lacking on most days. No, I am only able to confide in these pages that will never be seen by any eyes save my own._

 _I saw Ruby today. I don't know what possessed her to attempt to speak to me today, but she did, and it nearly killed me. Doesn't she understand that seeing or speaking to her makes me think of you? That is something that I can not allow myself to do! Ruby was your friend and in time she could have been mine as well, but now she is just a painful reminder of a life that could have been. A life that I have no business thinking about because it is as impossible now as it was then._

 _I know everyone in town hates me. They all call me a_ bitch _or brand me as some cold unfeeling tyrant. They have no idea of the pain I carry everyday. They can't understand that I must keep everyone at arm's length for their own safety. I must be seen as cruel and unkind so that others don't attempt to get close to me. For if they do they will only be hurt. So I will forever be alone because I made the vow that I would never hurt anyone else the way I hurt you._

 _With all my love,_

 _Regina_


	12. Chapter 12

Fingers slid up and down her back leaving a trail of goosebumps along her skin like breadcrumbs marking their sensual path. She felt the hot breath on her neck while wet lips kissed along her jawline gently, eliciting a shudder of pleasure she could feel traveling like lightning from her toes to her core. Dark hair slid through her fingers as if made from silk as the lips left kisses inching downward slowly from her neck, then between her breasts, brushing softly against her abdomen, peppering soft pecks along her pelvis before wanton lips hovered over her heated mound, teasing her with their closeness. Her muscles tightened and relaxed as her body was begging to be touched where she needed to be touched the most, she had craved this moment for so long, been starved for it and now she was so close to having her hunger finally sated.

Emma Swan Nolan's eyelids fluttered and her lips parted, the dream was retreating rapidly in her mind's eye and she struggled internally to hold onto the fleeting image of her heart's desire. The wetness between her legs slid slowly on to the warm sheets beneath her and the tongue licking her pulsing lips confused her as her thoughts began to transition from slumbering dreams to the creeping sensation of awakening. "Regina." The name drifted softly from her while she traveled the foggy landscape between sleep and wakefulness, moaning like a plea for confirmation of a reality that her mind was now reminding her was untrue.

All movement stopped, her eyes snapped open and her breath hitched as the sudden silence fell onto the bedroom. "What?" The question rang out as a question and an accusation all at once, spoken in a tone of seriousness coupled with betrayal. "What did you just call me?" Quick as lightning she felt Lily rise from between her legs and sit on her heels, her posture rigid, her eyes ablaze and daring Emma to answer.

Now shocked into being fully alert, green eyes blinked widely, searching for the right words to defuse the situation as if they would be written on the four walls of her apartment's bedroom. "What? I don't know, what?" She stammered, trying to buy time to come up with the right response to defuse the situation.

Lily's eyes narrowed and with an angry grunt she pushed herself of the bed and began to snatch her clothes from the floor where they had been tossed carelessly the night before. "I can't believe this shit." She muttered to herself but still loud enough for Emma to hear as she slowly rose nervously until she sat and watched Lily stomp around the room jerking her clothes onto her body. "It's always _her_. Always _her_." The mixture of anger and sadness in Lily's quiet whisperings tugged at Emma's heart, she hadn't meant to hurt this beautiful woman who was just trying to please her.

Hanging her head low and looking at her hands in her lap as fingernails attacked their counterparts nervously, Emma spoke softly to her embarrassed and angry girlfriend. "I'm sorry Lily."

Lily stopped dressing and froze, her eyes focusing on Emma and her face changing from sadness to shock to dark amusement in seconds. "Oh! Now you know my name?" She laughed humorlessly while crossing her arms over naked breasts.

"Come on Lily." She shrugged her shoulders and her eyes begged for forgiveness while her brows crept up to her blonde hair. "I was dreaming, I was half asleep, it didn't mean anything!" Her arms stretched forward, hands reaching out for Lily.

"Right. Dreaming." Lily raised her chin and looked at the ceiling in disbelief. "Dreaming of Regina Mills. It doesn't mean anything, and yet she's always in your dreams." Fighting back tears and losing the struggle she returned her glare to meet the blonde. "I hear you moaning her name at night in your sleep! Tell me something Emma, do you ever dream about me? Huh? Is there room in your dreams for your girlfriend? For the woman who is _here_ and actually loves you?" Her hand flew to her mouth and covered it, trying to stop any other words from escaping.

Emma's eyes widened, they had never said the 'L' word to each other before. This was a big moment in their relationship and Emma had spoiled it. Feeling sorry for the brunette who now stood rigid in the middle of the room looking as if she wanted to sink into the carpet underfoot. The tension was palpable and they were both trying to find an out, someway to break the emotional stalemate before either cracked under the pressure. Emma moved first, crawling out of bed and walking slowly to Lily, then standing in front of her, she grabbed the teary eyed woman's hands in hers. "You love me?" Emma asked with a grin, attempting to lighten the mood.

Shaking her head while feeling a mix of resentment and elation from her unintentional confession. "Of course I do! You idiot!" Lily rumbled in anger before grabbing Emma's shoulders and pressing their lips together hard. Emma kissed her back even harder, slipping her tongue inside and pushing her naked body onto Lily's. Hoping desperately to distract Lily from realizing that she had not said 'I love you' back.

The fifteen minute drive out of Storybrooke allowed her thoughts to wander like the long lonely country road, with its bright green spring trees that hugged the roadside hiding the rows upon rows of trees behind them, like silent castle guards watching her journey into the heart of darkness. At least that is how Regina referred to the sprawling mansion with its vast acres of open spaces in her mind. She hated her mother's home and refused to visit it, only setting foot inside when she was ordered to like she had been today. Usually she was only required to appear there when her mother held fundraisers that required the mayor to attend so that every one of the vain and arrogant donors could admire the successful daughter their wealthy hostess had borne. The stuffy functions that filled the halls and rooms with the well to do and ruling class of the state and sometimes beyond both bored and disgusted her with their snobbery and pretentiousness. Gaudy furnishings reflected the attitude of their mistress who littered the interior with her trophies of wealth so as to remind all visitors that they were privileged to be in the royal presence of Queen Cora Mills Gold.

As she made her way through the roundabout in front she was once again drawn to how the mansion had been built to look similar to a castle under Cora's influence, right down to the uniformed valet that approached her car as she put her brand new black Mercedes into park. "Madam Mayor." The man greeted her as he held his hand out to help her up, as if she was incapable of getting out of her own car by herself. It made her roll her eyes at the ridiculous nature of the whole thing and not for the first time wondered how much her mother and Gold were paying their servants to debase themselves like this.

Stiffly she marched on high heels up the elegant stone stairs that led to the ornate wooden and iron door that opened as she approached, partially concealing the uniformed doorman behind it. "Madam Mayor, your mother is expecting you in the front parlor." The doorman's voice was as polite as it was rehearsed and Regina only nodded slightly in recognition of his existence, knowing that looking at the man would cause her to laugh at the ridiculous theater that her mother forced her workers to engage in.

Knowing the way to her destination she walked the polished wood floors, the clicking of her shoes the only sound heard in the long hallway where baroque paintings hung from the wall, their dark images complimenting the mood she carried with her into the parlor room. Standing ramrod straight in the center of the large room stood her mother with her hands held clasped together, arms bent just above her waist. Her long black hair with gray streaks that multiplied and widened at a pace that was far too slow in Regina's opinion, was expertly done in a tightly wrapped style that hung above her shoulders and framed the cold visage of the woman gazing at her with a slightly disapproving eye. Having grown immune from a lifetime of intense scrutiny, Regina moved into the room unwavering in her own gaze of resigned disinterest.

"Mother." Was the only greeting she would volunteer to the woman.

"Regina." Cora spoke with no warmth as her eyes remained looked on her daughter's. She indicated the expensive silver tea service resting on the small cart in front of her and in between two cushioned wooden antique chairs built to impress and not to comfort. "Join me for tea." It was not an invitation but a command. As Cora sat slowly with grace, a uniformed maid came forward and began preparations. With practised movements Regina sat and presented herself with her legs crossed at her ankles, body angled slightly, hands held in her lap, thin purse clasped tightly under her arm pressed to her chest, back straight and away from the chair, head held high and chin up.

"Of course mother." She took the offered cup and saucer from the maid and waited to taste the hot beverage until Cora had been served. They both sipped in silence, Cora carefully examining Regina with her eyes and Regina eyeing her mother over the delicate China cup with practised restrained hostility. Both placed their cups and saucers in their laps, holding them in their hands, hovering and not letting them rest on their legs.

Cora dismissed the maid with a wave without a word or a glance. Regina pursed her lips and hated that she was being made to break the silence. "Why have you summoned me mother?"

With an eye roll she had passed on to her daughter, Cora sighed. "Come now Regina,

must you always be so dramatic? Really child, I thought you had gotten all of that acting nonsense out of your system long ago."

Her anger flared and Regina spoke through clenched teeth. "It was never nonsense. I enjoyed it. Now why am I here? Surely you haven't called me all the way here to belittle me, you could have done that over the phone."

"Be careful with that sarcastic wit dear." Cora spoke with a smile but her eyes reflected no humor. "Some may not know whether you are joking or not." Regina growled inwardly, fuming. "I called you here to discuss your image."

Her laugh was sudden and loud, equal parts disbelief and scorn. "My _image_? What, are you my public relations manager now?" Regina knew that any concern that Cora was professing for her image was as genuine as an email from a Nigerian Prince with a vault full of diamonds.

"My dear, to rise in politics one must project not only competence but likability." Cora leaned her head in a condescending way and tutted. "No one doubts your competence Regina, but let's not kid ourselves here. Likable you are not."

Grinding her teeth in anger, her voice was low. "Get to the point mother."

"Family plays very well with the people Regina. Common people want to see themselves in their leaders, they know that they don't possess what it takes to wield power, they're weak, but they need to identify with us Regina, they need the fantasy that they could do what we do. That they could be where we are."

Her brown eyes constricted. "That they could be as _good_ as we are. That's what you mean isn't it mother?"

Cora's smile was cold. "There are the weak and the strong my dear. The weak will always dream to be strong but they know in their hearts that they will always be weak. That is why they follow us Regina, because we are strong, we are what they want to be."

"Spare me the platitudes mother, I have heard all of them growing up. What are you really getting at here?"

"If you had been able to hold on to Robin he would have put a baby inside you and we wouldn't be having this conversation. You fail at everything else so why did I think that you wouldn't fail at marriage?" Her words were like little needles piercing her flesh and Regina was unable to comprehend how her mother could still hurt her after decades of abuse. "I suppose some mother's would just throw their hands up and ship their daughter off to San Francisco so they could wear flannel shirts, join the softball team and style their hair like a man." Cora placed her tea cup onto the service cart and leaned forward and scowled at her daughter. Her voice was whispered but laced with rage and danger. "But I am not one of those mother's. Even though I was cursed to have a daughter who doesn't have a taste for men but would rather wear combat boots and march in a pride parade, I _will_ have my legacy maintained by any means necessary."

Regina felt her throat tighten and all she wanted to do was toss her now ice cold tea into her mother's face. Instead she placed it besides her mother's cup and looked down at her hands. _What did I ever do to make you hate me so much?_ Regina wanted to scream the question at her mother. A question that she had asked herself again and again for nearly thirty years. "I will ask you once more mother, what is your angle here? What is it that you want? You are only interested in your own gain and I am not seeing how this conversation leads to anything that would benefit you. So please enlighten me on why I am here?"

"I am running for governor and I will win. With Robert's money and my status the only thing that can undermine my election would be answering lewd questions about my unwed and childless daughter seen drinking in a bar flying a rainbow flag." Cora looked like she had tasted something sour as she spoke. "Since you can't satisfy a man, then the only alternative is adoption."

Not believing what she had just heard, her eyebrows shot up in surprise and Regina shook her head slightly. "What?!" Her eyes scanned her mother's face for any traces of humor, any chance that her mother was just joking, but she could find none. "You can't be serious! I'm not going to adopt a child just to help you win an election! That's too far even for you mother!"

"Oh but you will my dear. Sydney!" Cora called over her shoulder and a moment later Sydney Glass, Cora's assistant, appeared in the parlor entrance pushing a vintage baby carriage, probably an expensive antique, Regina assumed. The brown skinned bespectacled man had a smile on his face that made Regina uncomfortable. Regina heard sounds coming from the carriage as it rolled closer to her, soft gurgling and cooing. Dread and confusion filled her, once again her mother was manipulating her life with no regard to her feelings. "The press release has already been written for Storybrooke's mayor and her new son."

The carriage came to a stop in front of Regina and with a nervous lump in her throat she slowly lowered her eyes inside to see the infant for the first time. Dark hazel eyes flickered and rested on her and in an instant Regina Mills fell in love. She saw chubby little cheeks and a small fist being chewed on by a tiny little mouth while the other arm moved up and down rapidly, searching for something to grab and hold on to. Something about the little eyes felt familiar to her and instinctively she reached into the carriage and pulled the blanket wrapped soft bundle of brown hair and gurgling hums into her arms. The baby felt natural in her arms and there was a warmth growing in her heart that had been closed off for so many years making tears pool instantly in her eyes and freely roll down her face until they landed on broadly smiling lips. Holding him tight to her chest she shared his warmth and felt him pull at her blouse with his tiny little fingers, gently pressing her lips to the top of his brown tuft of hair she smelled the sweet scent of him and sighed internally.

"His name is Henry Mills. All of the paperwork has been completed, the only thing missing is your signature." Sydney's voice was all business and his abrupt interruption of her unexpected moment of bliss jarred her back to reality. He was holding the legal form in front of her along with a pen. She shot her eyes over to her mother and saw the older woman looking at her. There was no emotion coming from Cora Mills, to Regina she had the same demeanor that she projected during business deals, for that was all this was to her mother, another transaction with her daughter. The thought of helping her mother again sickened her but she knew that there was nothing she would not do in order to have Henry be her son. Cradling the small baby in her arms, she smiled down at his face and saw his curious eyes scanning her face, staring in wonderment at the tearful woman looking down on him with so much love. Sniffling, she raised a hand that was shaking with emotion and took the pen from Sydney's hand and swiftly scribbled her signature on the highlighted line. Sydney smiled at her and withdrew the document. "Congratulations madam mayor, it's a boy."

It was a boy, her little boy, Henry Mills, her son. She swore to herself in that moment

that she would love him with all her heart for as long as she lived. While her mother called in a

photographer to snap pictures for the press release Regina's eyes never left her son's and the

smile she had remained there until she finally drifted off to sleep that night as Henry slept in his bassinet in his mother's bedroom just a few feet from her bed.

Lily placed her phone down on the kitchen table and sighed while Emma put the steaming plate of spaghetti and meatballs down in front of her. "You okay babe?" Emma's eyes furrowed at the tired look on her girlfriend's face.

Lily shook her head and smiled tiredly. "Yeah, I just got a call about a runner down in New York that I have to chase down and I'm not looking forward to it. I wanted to spend the weekend here with you since we hardly ever get time together." Her hand reached over to Emma's and squeezed the top as Emma nodded in agreement. Both their schedules rarely synced together because of Lily's job, but this time they had hoped to share a whole weekend between just the two of them. Emma looked at her with an understanding grin and disappointed eyes.

"It's okay Lil. It's the jobs we took and we both knew that being together wouldn't be easy."

Lily's eyes sparkled when an idea sparked in her thoughts. "Hey! You should come with me! It'll be like a mini vacation! I'll bag the runner and then we can paint the town red!" Emma laughed and sat back in her chair.

"Well somebody has a pretty high opinion of their skills. What makes you think you can track down this guy so fast?"

"This guy is a real loser." Lily stabbed a meatball and raised the saucy morsel to her mouth and chewed as she spoke. "A grade A screw up with a history of petty crimes, he's no criminal mastermind. He'll hide out with friends and hang at his favorite places like an idiot. I guarantee you that I'll find this Neal Gold two hours after we get to the city."

Lily raised her eyes after she heard the clank of a fork being dropped hard on a plate.

She was puzzled as she saw all the color drain from Emma's face, her eyes were wide and Lily had never seen such shock from her before. It was like Emma had just seen a ghost. "You okay babe? Emma?"


	13. Chapter 13

"Babe?" Lily prodded her, she didn't like the glazed over stare in her girlfriend's eyes. "You okay?" She frowned as she started to connect the dots in her head. "Emma, this guy, do you know him? Neal Gold?" At the mention of his name icy green eyes fluttered and focused on Lily, by the expression on Emma's face she knew the answer without having to be told. "You do know this hump. Is he" This was hard for Lily because she was about to bring up what she knew was a sore subject with Emma. "Is he from Storybrooke? Is that how you know this guy?"

Emma could only nod as she tried to push back the fuzzy and blurry memories. The feel of the bed on her back. His hot breath. His deep ugly voice. His hands on her, everywhere. Presently she could feel her heart racing and she swallowed the rapidly forming lump in her throat. Her voice was quiet and Lily strained to hear the whispered words. "He tried to rape me."

"What?!" Lily's shout made Emma jump and Lily quickly apologized without words by placing a comforting hand on Emma's arm. "This fucker tried to rape you! Oh babe, what happened?" Her words turned soothing while her thumb rubbed gently over the back of Emma's cold skin.

Her eyes remained down as she replied slowly after taking a deep calming breath. "It was a graduation party and he drugged me. He took me into his basement and I couldn't fight back, I could barely move. He would have done it to if" Her eyes finally rose and met Lily's compassionate dark ones looking back at her with love. "If Regina hadn't rescued me." Emma could see the pain flash on Lily's face for a fleeting moment before she replaced it with a concerned face.

"Regina." Lily said evenly and her tone was drained of emotion. "Regina Mills saved you." _Of course she did._ "Well, good. I'm glad she was there before something awful happened." _I can't escape from this woman._

Emma could tell that her girlfriend was upset about the fact that Regina was involved. She was well aware of the insecurity and jealousy that Lily felt toward the other woman and it made Emma feel sorry for her. It was unfair to Lily and Emma knew it, she just didn't know if there was a way for her to get past this. Or if she even wanted to. The only way to escape this was to do what she always did when the subject of Regina came up, she changed the subject. "I'm coming with you to help you catch him."

Lily shook her head. "No Emma, I don't want you seeing this bastard again. In fact, I think I'm going to refuse the job. I don't need the money this bad." She tried to squeeze Emma's hand but the blonde agent pulled her hand away. "We don't need this. We don't need him back in your life." The withdrawal of her girlfriend's hand hurt her but she hid it behind determined eyes.

Emma shook her head. "No. I'm going with or without you." Her voice was firm and her decision final. "I need to be the one to get him. I'm going to nail the bastard." Lily leaned back in her chair, defeated, she knew there was no arguing with her.

"Fine. Let's go."

Holding the shopping bag by the handles with the stuffed wolf resting inside it, Ruby took in the bustling activity at 108 Mifflin Street. There were delivery men carrying nursery furniture, she spotted painters carrying drop cloths and rollers, and a few contractors speaking with the lady of the house. _I guess it pays to be the mayor._ Ruby assumed that ordinary folks wouldn't be able to get all these workers here on less than a day's notice. As she got closer she saw that the contractors were being directed by a shorter woman and while the men towered over her, it was clear that the woman holding the bundled baby in her arms was running the show. She got closer and heard Regina speaking to the men in a polite but stern voice.

"I don't care that it's not necessary right now, I want the entire mansion baby proofed from top to bottom. He's going to be growing bigger everyday and I will not have an unsafe environment for my son." The lead contractor nodded and signaled for his men to go and get started, their swift obedience made Ruby grin. Only Regina Mills could command that much authority while gently bouncing a baby in her arms. Getting closer, Regina spotted her and her eyes registered momentary confusion before she composed herself. "Miss Lucas? What brings you here?" She said politely if not necessarily in a friendly manner.

Ruby furrowed her brow and cocked her head to the side. "Regina" she began with a grin. "I know we aren't really close but we did go to school together and we see each other everyday. Can't you call me Ruby?"

She watched as Regina's expression softened. "Very well, Ruby." She gave Ruby a little smile, although she still looked a little restrained. "What brings you here today?" Ruby looked down at the bundled baby.

"I came to see this little one!" She said happily and sighed softly when Regina pulled back the blanket a bit. Ruby looked at the squinting little eyes of the chubby cheeked boy and instantly fell in love. "Oh he's perfect Regina!" She squealed quietly so she wouldn't startle the boy. "He's the talk of the town you know?" A tiny little hand grasped her finger and she giggled. "What's this cutie pie's name?"

Proudly, Regina smiled as she watched Ruby tickling the little chin with her fingers. "This is Henry Mills. Henry, this is Ruby Lucas." The two women locked eyes and Ruby noticed emotion flood dark cocoa colored orbs. "She's a friend." Ruby smiled warmly at the statement. "I've made some coffee, would you like a cup?" The mayor offered to the diner owner.

"I would be happy to Regina."

Regina placed both steaming coffee mugs down, one in front of Ruby while Henry lay in a portable car seat between the two women on the kitchen island as he tugged away on the new stuffed wolf toy. His mother gave him a loving smile as she brought the hot cup to her lips to take a small sip and Ruby looked on at the touching moment between mother and child.

"You look happy Regina." Ruby's words seemed to bring Regina out of her trance and she turned to her with a puzzled look.

"Oh?" Was all she said, replacing the mug in front of her, keeping her fingers busy on the cup handle.

Ruby nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, you do." Ruby took a deep breath as she marshalled her courage to continue. "I know that these years have been tough on you Regina, the _Evil Queen_ act may fool the rest of the populace but I know the real reason you shut people out."

Ruby could see the change in Regina's eyes even though she kept her politician's mask in place.

" _Evil Queen?_ " She chuckled without humor and a grimace on her lips. "Is that what they call me?"

Suddenly finding the dark brown liquid in her cup very interesting, Ruby looked down while she spoke. "Only when you're not around." She muttered loud enough for Regina to hear, then she raised her head to meet the mayor's eyes. "Although I know the truth. I know how much you're hurting because you sent Emma away." Regina opened her mouth to speak but Ruby held up her hand to stop her. "Don't try to deny that it didn't happen, remember Emma and I are best friends and she told me everything." The mask came off then and Regina's bottom lip quivered slightly. "She told me how Cora has basically controlled your life and won't let you be who you really are." Regina's eyebrows furrowed as tears began to well up. "Or let you love who you really love."

"I-" Regina started to speak but then the dam broke inside her, she bowed her head and covered her face with both hands. The tears spilled out and she felt embarrassed for breaking down in front of Emma's friend, but the words Ruby spoke rang true in her soul and vibrated something loose inside her, unspooling all the emotions she kept wound tightly in her heart. The injustice of it all made her begin sobbing and she heard rather than saw Ruby get up from her stool and wrap her arms around her shaking form. "I had to Ruby. I just had to let her go. My mother would hurt her and I can't let that happen."

Ruby rubbed comforting circles on the woman's back and leaned her cheek on top of her head as she whispered soothingly. "I know, Emma said as much. She understands though, it took her a long time, but she understands. She knows that you love her and that you only did it because you wanted to keep her safe."

Regina lifted her head up to look at Ruby with red eyes and tear streaked cheeks. "Have you spoken to her recently?" Her voice was rough from crying and full of emotion, making it waver a little. "How is she?"

Ruby bit her bottom lip as she debated telling her how much she knew of Emma's life in Boston. "She's okay. She's a special agent for the FBI now, I don't know if you heard about that or not." Regina nodded that she did. "Oh, okay. Well she's living in a house with her parents so she can take care of them. Mary Margaret is in a wheelchair and David-well he's still in a coma." Regina shut her eyes, in pain for what her darling love must be going through dealing with her parent's conditions. "But, she's-uh-living her life, you know. Work and stuff. Same old Emma."

Regina sniffed and pulled away from Ruby's hug with a frown, she looked up at the taller woman while wiping tears off her cheeks. "There's something you are not telling me. What is it?"

This had taken a turn for the worse, Ruby was trying to make Regina feel better but now she was torn between sparing the woman's feelings by lying or telling the truth and breaking an already badly damaged heart. "Listen Regina, she wasn't looking or anything, it kind of just happened you know?" She was stalling and Regina knew it, she crossed her arms in front of her and prepared herself for the news that her heart already knew but her mind was trying to deny.

"Tell me Ruby." Her voice matched the coldness in her eyes but she could only hold the anger for a moment before it slipped through her fingers like sand. "Please." She whispered.

Ruby couldn't meet the eyes of the broken woman at the moment and looked down at her shoes. Regina's shoulders dropped and she took a calming breath as she prepared herself for the blow. She spoke softly. "Ruby. What-what's her name?"

Trying to show her all the compassion that she could, Ruby answered. "It's Lily."

The ride to New York was polite and the two women engaged in small talk, but Emma could feel tension radiating of Lily like a furnace. She gripped the steering wheel of her bug and sighed as they both sat while watching the bar across the street. Even after they had sex Lily was still a little withdrawn from Emma, and she could hardly blame her girlfriend. If the roles were reversed and Lily had said another woman's name while they were in the throes of passion Emma would have hit the roof. To her, it was a miracle that Lily was still _talking_ to her, never mind still being her girlfriend. Although Emma had noticed that Lily had not said 'I love you' again since her slip up.

She tried not to think about what it all meant, being Lily's girlfriend _and_ her inability to get Regina out of her mind. She wished that she had a distraction to take her mind of her troubled thoughts, but the two of them had run out of small talk half an hour ago. Now there was just uncomfortable silence and unanswered questions. Emma drummed her fingers absently on the wheel when she heard her phone ding, a text. She pulled her phone out of the pocket of her red leather jacket and glanced at the screen, Ruby just sent her a picture. She was about to unlock the screen when Lily lightly elbowed her in the ribs. "Is that him?" Emma's eyes jumped from her phone to the bar across the street, and she caught sight of a man walking up the sidewalk.

"That's him." She would recognize the bastard in a crowded stadium, his face still haunted her dreams. Putting her phone back in her jacket she started opening her door but stopped when she felt Lily's hand gripping her forearm. "What?" She asked in confusion at the dark eyed brunette.

Lily shook her head. "No, let me go after him. If he sees you he'll bolt, he has to know that you're a federal agent now." Her face darkened a little before she continued. "If he was obsessed with you then he kept tabs. Of course I don't have to tell _you_ about being obsessed over someone."

Emma's stomach felt like it was a sinking ship. She leaned her head to the side and her eyes traveled to the windshield, unable to look the other woman in the face. "Lily." She was cut off when Lily pushed her door open and stepped outside she ducked her head and spoke sternly to Emma.

"Watch my back." The slamming of the car door punctuated her statement. Emma watched her jog around the car and across the street before ducking into the bar right behind Neal.

 _I guess that means that she hasn't gotten over it._ Emma exhaled knowing that they were going to have it out over this soon but she needed to focus on Neal right now. Catching him was more important than arguing over his beautiful and endearing sister-in-law.

Her train of thought was abruptly derailed when she spotted Neal bursting out of the front door of the bar. "Shit." She muttered to herself as she turned the key in the ignition bringing the engine roaring to life. Hesitating for a second to see if Lily was coming out behind him, she peeled out of her parking spot when she didn't see her girlfriend coming. Neal was moving fast but her Beetle was faster. Using the tactical driving training she learned at Quantico she wheeled her car right behind him and gunned it. With a crunching bump he was on her windshield in a flash and leaving a crack right down the middle from his back hitting it hard. "Damn it!" Now she had to get it replaced and her anger at the man only grew. She slammed on the brake and Neal rolled off the hood like a rag doll and landed hard on the street. Emma got out of the car quickly and pulled her off duty pistol out of her side holster. "Stay down you son of a bitch!"

Writhing in pain and holding his right leg by the knee, Neal didn't recognize the voice right away. "You broke my ankle you bitch!" He hissed in pain before opening his eyes. Blinking into the bright headlights his eyes gradually showed his recognition of the woman behind the gun. "Emma?" He said in disbelief.

"That's right Neal, imagine my surprise just running into you like this!" She gripped the handle and gritted her teeth but kept her finger off the trigger. Her finger shook and she thought about how it would be so easy to just put one right between his beady little eyes. She pushed the fantasy out of her head, Emma Swan Nolan was not a killer and her trigger finger stilled. Footsteps rapidly approached her from behind but she kept her eyes on the man grasping his legs in pain on the ground.

"Emma, you got him." Lily stopped running and stood next to her, glaring at Neal. "Slippery fuck got away from me before I could slap the cuffs on him."

Emma grunted in disgust while she kept the gun leveled at Neal. "Yeah, slime can be slippery like that."

Neal was getting angry and growled at the two women. "What the fuck is going on? You hit me! I'm pressing charges! You two bitches are going down!" Emma scoffed at him.

"Yeah you can tell that to the judge while you explain why you jumped bail. You're a fugitive Neal and Lily here is a bail bonds woman, she doesn't like losing money." She smirked smirked. "Especially on low life pieces of shit like you."

"Bail?" Neal's face screwed up for a moment. "Hey listen you can let me go and I can get you your money back. Just pretend like you never saw me." He pleaded and his begging made Emma's stomach turn, he truly was a low life.

"Is that a bribe Neal? Were you talking to me? Because I would love adding attempting to bribe a federal agent." She laughed.

"Oh yeah, I heard you were in the FBI now." He winced in pain. "Congratulations. Is that your new squeeze?" He nodded toward Lily. "You're still dyking it up I see. You know if you had just let me fuck you before I guarantee you'd be hooked on dick instead of pussy." Emma saw red.

"Sorry Neal, I feel a little dizzy right now and my footing isn't so good." She smiled menacingly. "Sorry about the ankle." Neal looked confused for a moment before Emma kicked him hard on his broken ankle, his howl of pain was music to her ears.

Lily chuckled next to her and whispered. "Good one."

"Alright! Alright!" Neal cried as the tears of pain rolled down his cheeks. "Look, I know things okay! Things you might want to know about!" Emma could hear the police sirens getting louder in the background, someone must have seen the comotion and called 911.

"Oh you know things huh?" Emma taunted. "Let me tell you what I know. _I_ know that right now I can hear your ride coming. So tell me Neal, what do you think you know?"

His eyes were frantically moving between the two women. "I know who tried to kill your parents!" Emma's heart stopped and she felt as if she had left her body.

"What did you say?" Her voice was soft because she thought she was dreaming.

"I need a deal." He was pleading as the police pulled up. "Get me a deal and I'll tell you everything." Emma was silent as she holstered her weapon and pulled out her ID as the police came up from behind, but her eyes never left Neal. She heard Lily explaining the situation to the officers and watched as they cuffed him. Emma made a point not to mention his ankle as they pulled him to his feet. Neal screamed in agony and Emma smiled.

"Oh yeah, watch his ankle." She laughed as the officers put him in the back seat of the squad car.


	14. Chapter 14

"Who's the new girl?" Killian leered at the attractive young woman who had just left Robert Gold's office tucked inside his extravagant mansion. Gold looked up from the papers that his new assistant had left on his desk and at the man who was the sheriff of Storybrooke, the impertinent and arrogant man who seated himself in a chair across from him with a roguish smile, Killian Jones.

"Her name is Belle French." His tone was full of contempt for the man. "She's my new secretary." His dark eyes leveled a warning at the man. "And you would be wise to stay away from her." Killian's reply was heralded with a sly smirk at his employer.

"Want her all to yourself then eh?" He chuckled and then readjusted his black leather jacket with the gold star on it. "Very well. However it seems a bit of a waste for such a young and energetic girl to be unable to meet her equal in, shall we say, stamina?" With obvious dismissal his eyes traveled over the wrinkled face of the older man, while he clicked his tongue in mock pity.

Gold's eyes blazed with a smoldering fury and his lips thinned until his face looked like the Death's Head skull. "Careful Jones." Growling out the warning to Killian he added. "Accidents have happened before to officers of the law in Storybrooke, and they could again."

Bravely Jones returned the reply with a warning of his own. "Oh, I'm well aware. That's why it pays to take out a little life insurance, don't you think?" He paused and then lowered his voice. "Remember, I know where the bodies are buried."

A cold laugh vibrated out of the most powerful man in town that practically chilled the air in the opulent office. "And you would be wise to remember who put those bodies there in the first place."

They both paused as they dueled with their eyes until after a beat Killian withdrew from the stalemate with a slight nod of obedience. "Touche." Satisfied with his victory, Gold returned his attention to the business papers before him that required his attention. "I'm just worried with how much the woman knows." Killian's words interrupted him and he placed the pen on the desk beside the papers, knowing that the man across from him would not let him work in peace until he had said whatever was in that tiny organ in his head that he called a brain. "I mean about what she knows about your _real_ business, not this other nonsense that you hide behind."

"I can assure you that Miss French knows only what I tell her." He spat. "And what I tell her is _my_ business." With an eyebrow raised in irritation he added to his declaration. "Are we clear sheriff?"

Killian shrugged, seemingly satisfied with his answer. "Crystal." Gold picked up his pen once more.

"Now if that will be all."

Killian made no move to leave. "Not quite, it seems we have a problem." Gold dismissed him with a wave of his hand as he wrote his signature with the other.

"Well, I pay you to deal with problems. So deal with it."

Killian tented his fingers in front of him and inhaled deeply before he answered. "This problem needs to be handled with care." He continued and slowed his cadence to emphasise the importance of his words. "Because this problem is very personal to you." Gold raised his head and gave the sheriff his undivided attention as an invitation for him to continue. "It's your son. Neal has been arrested in New York."

Gold leaned back in his expensive and plush aged leather chair. He rubbed his temple in irritation at his troublesome son. Although he loved his son more than anything in the world, he realized that in hindsight he had done more harm than good by spoiling him during his childhood. He had given his son everything that the boy ever wanted while he was growing up, mostly to assuage his own guilt over the accident that led to his mother's death. While this had succeeded at buying his son's love at the time he had also instilled a sense of entitlement and recklessness in Neal that had cost Gold a great deal in money and favors. If Neal had not been his son he would have solved the problem in his own way and washed his hands of the whole aggravating situation. "Then get him out and back here. I'll deal with him."

"I'm afraid it will not be that easy this time. He's being held by the FBI this time." Gold sighed in frustration, dealing with the police was one thing but the federal government was quite different and extremely expensive.

"Get it done." His voice was firm but he felt anger rise inside as he watched Jones shake his head in the negative in response.

"I'm afraid I can't do that this time. The agent holding him has a grudge against him that won't be satisfied with a simple check." He paused to add drama to his words. "He's being held by Special Agent Emma Swan Nolan."

A soft whistle streamed from the small speaker in the baby monitor that sat on the coffee table near two bottles of wine, one empty and the other slightly less than half full of expensive dark magenta liquid. Tipsy laughter came from the two women responsible for the rapidly disappearing alcohol that evening sitting on the couch with their shoes off and their legs curled beneath them.

For the first time in quite a while Regina Mills was enjoying herself. It was well past midnight and her little prince was sleeping soundly in his nursery upstairs while his mother was thoroughly enjoying conversing and giggling like a little girl with her new friend.

"I am so buzzed." Ruby said right before she took a long sip from her wine glass. "But damn Regina! This wine is good!" They both laughed at the statement that held no particular humor but had suddenly struck them both as hilarious.

"For $200 dollars a bottle it better be good!" Regina said as she refilled Ruby's glass. The diner owner's eyes widened in shock and her jaw dropped comically.

"$200!" She whispered as if it was a secret that someone might overhear. "You're throwing away your money on me, you should be saving this for someone more important!" She meant it as a joke but she saw the sudden change in Regina's demeanor, the mayor's smile began to fade and her eyes sank to the inside of her glass.

"No one else speaks to me or relates to me as if I have feelings, except you." Her voice was low and full of emotion. "So you Miss Lucas are the most important person that I have had the pleasure of entertaining and _you_ are worth every penny." Ruby's breath caught in her throat and her cheeks reddened while a wide smile spread between them.

"My my madam mayor!" Ruby said playfully as she poked Regina's shoulder with her finger. "You are quite the charmer!" She chuckled, and this time it was Regina who turned away, embarrassed as she took a long sip of wine.

"It's not just empty words Ruby." Regina's voice was a whisper and Ruby had to strain to hear it. "You have no idea how lonely I am. When my mother gave me Henry I knew it was just a small part in some grand scheme of hers." Puffy red eyes that overflowed with tears that fell quickly down a magnificent jawline looked up slowly and met Ruby's with so much pain and loneliness that it broke the heart of the owner of Granny's daughter. "But I didn't care Ruby! I didn't care because now I have _someone_! Someone I can give my love to." Her soft whisper became quieter still. "Someone who will _finally_ love me." Then she crumbled and her body was wracked by violent sobs. Ruby grabbed the wine glass out of the hand of the weeping woman before it fell to the ground and placed her own on the table together side by side. Her arms wrapped the woman up and she pulled her tightly to her chest, rubbing her back with her hands and rocking her gently back and forth.

"It's going to be okay Regina. It's going to be alright." She murmured into the brunette hair resting underneath her chin. It seemed so terribly unfair to Ruby that someone as caring and as compassionate as Regina Mills had suffered and continued to suffer so much pain and anguish in her life. She couldn't imagine the kind of isolation that Regina had lived in for six long years, perhaps even longer, the thought sent chills down her back. "It'll be different now. You have a son in Henry that will grow up to love you so very much!" With her finger she lifted a quivering chin until chocolate brown eyes met hers. "And you have a friend in me." She gave Regina a self deprecating grin. "That is if madam mayor doesn't mind slumming it with the owner of a greasy spoon." Ruby's heart warmed at the wet laugh that fell from Regina's throat.

"I would be honored to call you a friend Miss Lucas." Regina said with genuine affection. Ruby smiled in appreciation of the heartfelt receipt of her friendship. Then the water eyes seemed to cloud over and Ruby suddenly became aware of how close their faces were. Regina's expertly painted crimson lips parted and Ruby began to tally the number of glasses of wine they had consumed in her head. She froze in place as Regina's eyelids lowered slowly and her lips came closer and closer to her own. Ruby's eyes were as big as saucers as Regina gently pressed those same lips onto her own.

 _Oh my God! What do I do?_ Her mind screamed as she tried to understand what was happening. She felt Regina's lips open and her tongue slowly lick Ruby's, begging to be allowed inside, but Ruby kept her mouth clamped tight. Slowly she began to gently push Regina back and gave her friend a slightly embarrassed but completely supportive smile. Confusion laced Regina's features at first but then shame filled her and her face showed it clearly as if she was as transparent as glass.

"Ruby." Regina's raspy voice was low. "I apologize for that." She straightened her clothes and her back while wiping the tears from her cheeks with her hands. "That was inappropriate and I did not mean to make you uncomfortable." Her eyes met Ruby's and the mayor looked as if she was made of stone. "If you wish to leave you are free to go." She stood up, silently extending the invitation for Ruby to do the same. Ruby shook her head and grabbed Regina's hand and unceremoniously pulled her back down onto the sofa making the mayor sit with a very undignified plop. Regina's temper began to flare until she heard the loud laughter coming from Ruby and the huge smile on her face.

"Oh my Lord Regina!" Ruby was howling with laughter and trying to speak at the same time, making her voice sound two octaves too high. "You should see your face!" Regina was confused but then she couldn't hold back the giggles that were erupting from inside her as well, prompted by the laughter of the other woman, she held her hands over her mouth as the giggles spilled out. "And you were all like _I did not mean to make you uncomfortable._ " Her voice playfully mocked the mayor's who was now snorting with laughter on the couch beside her. " _If you wish to leave you are free to go!_ Regina! Calm down girl! It was just a drunken kiss!" Ruby playfully shook Regina's shoulders. "If I had a nickel for every drunken kiss I had with another woman in college-" She shrugged her shoulders. "Well, I could pay off my college tuition!" Her laughter relaxed Regina and she felt infinitely better. "Regina, I understand okay?" Ruby squeezed Regina's hand between both of hers. "You're lonely and a little drunk. And let's face it girl-" Ruby licked one finger and touched it to her own shoulder while making a hissing sound. "I am hot! So it's not your fault, who _wouldn't_ want to get with this? I'm very flattered Regina because you are really sexy. But this girl right here loves dick! I can't get enough of those hard little peckers!"

Now tears from laughter spilled from Regina's eyes as she laughed harder than she had in recent memory. "I'm still sorry Ruby." She said as she caught her breath. "I guess I am _really_ lonely." She said with a huff, blowing a wayward lock of blackish-brown hair from her face.

Ruby shook her head as she emptied the wine from the bottle between their two glasses before handing Regina her glass back. "No girl! Didn't you hear me? You _used_ to be lonely." She tapped her glass with Regina's. "Now you got Ruby." She ended with a wink and it caused Regina to start giggling again.

Listening to the woman laugh freely was so touching to Ruby that she decided then and there that she would do everything in her power to get Emma and Regina together once and for all.

The antiseptic smell filled her nostrils and made her nose itch, her face scrunched up as she fought a sneeze, not wanting to blow snot all over the police officer who was standing on guard in front of the door that she was both dreading and at the same time exhilarated to open. Emma nodded to the policeman and pushed the handle on the room door. A smirk spread across her face as she happily took in the sight of Neal Gold lying on a hospital bed, one hand handcuffed to the rail of his bed and one leg in a cast. With his eyes closed he looked so weak and helpless. _Not so tough are you now huh? I'd like to see you try coming at me again, you fuck!_ With a low chuckle that held not a drop of humor inside it, she made her way to the bed and kicked it hard, jarring Neal awake.

"Ow fuck!" His eyelids sprang open and he winced in pain, grabbing for the cast.

"Oh Neal!" Her voice was laced with mock sincerity. "I'm sorry, did I wake you?" She sat down hard on the bed by his cast, shaking his broken leg again.

"Damn it! My fucking leg!" He looked at her with watery eyes and a pained expression.

"Wow, I am just so clumsy today." Her eyes drifted away, distracted by the fascinating pattern on the wallpaper wrapping the drab beige room, her voice holding no empathy for Neal's predicament. "Anywhoo, I just dropped by to say hi before they lock you up for nine years." She relished the look of terror that suddenly sprang on his face. "See, they found the heroin in the trunk of your car Neal. Possession with intent to distribute? Class B felony son! Nevermind the warrant on the bond you skipped out on, but cheer up Neal! Imagine all the reading you get to do for the next ten years!" He visibly swallowed and Emma didn't feel at all guilty with how much she was enjoying this. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news like this, I was going to get you flowers-" She shrugged. "Then I realized that I really don't give a shit." Her sneer appeared suddenly and as fast as lightning, setting her icy green eyes ablaze. "I'm just glad the NYPD let me come in and see you alone before they put you in a dark hole for a very long time." She patted his cast and then pretended as though she was leaving, even though she had no intention to do so. She wanted to get the information he was holding about her parents accident. She didn't have to wait long as his hand reached out to her but she deftly pulled back, she was never going to let him touch her ever again.

"Wait! I told you, I know things! Things I can tell you about your parents accident! You have to help me!" He looked absolutely pathetic as he begged her for help. She crossed her arms proudly across her chest and looked down her nose at him with disdain.

"Look who's begging for mercy now!"

"Please Emma! I'm sorry for what I tried to do to you! I was way out of line!"

She scoffed at him derisively. "Oh you're sorry alright! But not about trying to rape me. No you're just a sorry excuse for a human being, you're nothing but a mongrel dog who should be put down." She took a deep breath to calm herself. "But, you're in luck. If you give me some information that turns out to be useful, the FBI may be willing to talk to the district attorney about working out a deal."

Neal frowned. "No. Get me a deal first and then I talk."

"Fuck you." She said with finality and stood. She didn't get more than two steps toward the door before he called out to her.

"Wait!" She smiled, knowing that Neal was too much of a coward to not cave. "Okay, okay. I'll tell you." It pleased her to no end to turn and see all the arrogance and confidence blow out of him as if he was a balloon. He looked so small and feeble just then, with his head hung low in defeat.

"Spill it you pathetic fuck." Emma's voice was cold and her eyes held no pity.

"My father ordered it. He ordered Killian Jones to kill your father, your mother just happened to be in the car too."

 _Gold tried to kill my parents? And deputy Jones was in on it?_ Her face masked the turmoil that raged like a tempest inside. She had her suspicions about Gold possibly playing a part in the accident, but she had nothing but a feeling to go on. There was no reason for him to want David dead, at least none that she was aware of. _Why?_

"Why did Gold try to kill my parents?" Her voice was that of the FBI interrogator, powerful and emotionless, her training was the only crutch she could lean on now as her head swam with questions.

"The sheriff found out what my father's real business is." Her eyebrow raised as she silently prodded him to continue. "Drugs."

For a long time she stood there in silence, watching him as beads of sweat began to form on his wrinkled forehead, hissing sounds of scrubbed air being pushed through hospital vents competing with the slow and steady sound of Emma breathing through her nose and the mirror opposite of Neal's panicked rapid breaths, still as a statute before she finally nodded.

"Do you have any proof of his involvement with the accident? Proof of his drug dealing?"

Neal nodded happily, realizing there was a chance he could weasel out of this and not caring if it hurt his father or not, after all, life was really all about self preservation, and his father could take care of himself. "Tons."


	15. Chapter 15

Swerving to avoid drifting into the next lane brought Emma back to reality. Her thoughts wouldn't stop racing and she knew that if she kept driving someone, probably herself, was going to wind up in a ditch. She pulled over and shut the engine off and for a long time just stared out through the windshield, blinking absently at the headlights of the oncoming cars. _What am I going to do? Gold tried to kill my father because he's a drug dealer and my father uncovered his operation?_ She wanted to drive to Storybrooke right now and kill Gold. Never in her life had her service weapon felt so heavy in her holster.

Neal, what was going to be done about him? Is he really going to turn on his father in court? Or is this just some stupid gambit on his part to get a reduced sentence? She felt exhausted, like her brain was tumbling around and around, jumbling thoughts together, making it hard to concentrate. She was too close to this case, too emotional, there was no way the Bureau was going to let her get anywhere near this. Angrily she pounded the palms of her hands against the steering wheel, needing to hit something just to release some of the tension inside and she didn't stop until her palms stung from the impact against the hard unyielding plastic.

She needed to vent to someone. Maybe her mother? No, she couldn't dump this on her over the phone, Emma needed to actually be there and try to cushion the blow as much as possible. Mary Margaret had been in therapy to help her deal with the trauma of the accident, and although she was making progress, Emma knew that this new information was going to set off her PTSD and maybe even make her depressed again.

Ruby. She would call Ruby, her best friend would let her dump all her anger and frustration out and talk her down from going on a murderous rampage. She pulled her phone out, feeling slightly guilty at calling her friend because she needed to vent, but there was no one else she could talk to. The thought of talking to Lily, her girlfriend, did not cross her mind for one second. The screen showed her that Ruby had sent her a text awhile ago and she remembered ignoring it right when the whole thing with Neal started. Feeling even more guilt, she opened the text and her mouth fell open.

The text read 'Meet Henry. Regina's son. Call me.' There she was, Regina Mills, still as beautiful as ever, her eyes sparkling with happiness and she looked as if she was practically glowing. In Regina's arms was a little baby and Emma's heart skipped a beat at how cute he was. _Regina's a mommy!_ Emma's smile spread slowly like a morning sunrise, gentle and bright. She wanted to be there. She _should_ be there! Did she adopt? Did she use a donor? Her throat closed at the thought that maybe she got married again.

It wasn't fair that something as monumental as becoming a mother was something that Emma had to find out about in a text. Tears pricked her eyes. It wasn't fair that they couldn't be together. With her heart breaking, she imagined the scenario that could have been, a scenario where they were together and would raise their child together. They would be a family. She saw a spot on her screen, then another, tears. She was crying and had not realized it. She turned the screen off, unable to look at the picture anymore. She sat there in the car and sobbed for a long time while cars passed by on the road, their occupants oblivious to the suffering woman inside the little yellow VW bug.

Shrieking steam pushed through the small hole at the end of the spout where the boiling water was transforming from liquid to gas from the blue flames of the stove burner that the metal kettle sat upon. The noise alerted Mary Margaret and she rolled her chair from her husband's bedside to the stove and turned the dial for the burner to the left, killing the flame causing the piercing whistle to slowly die. Picking up the kettle with one hand, she moved her wheelchair expertly with the other to the counter nearby were her cup was waiting, empty except for the tea bag that lay on the bottom. The kitchen had been set up by her daughter to make everything reachable for Mary Margaret so that she would have a measure of independence. She appreciated Emma's thoughtfulness because it allowed her to continue her nightly ritual of preparing herself a cup of tea before she went to bed. It allowed her to forget, if only for a moment, that she would spend the rest of her life in the chair. Being confined in a wheelchair was something she could accept, but what she had never and would never be able to come to terms with was not being able to hear David's voice again. Her thoughts began to sink like a stone in dark water for a moment before she used the tools her therapist had given her to turn her negative thoughts around. She focused on the positive, David was alive and there was hope that he would one day wake up. There was always hope.

She poured the steaming water into the cup and watched as it turned from clear to brown, swirling over and around the tea bag.

"Mary?"

She was alone in the house, the television and radio were both off, her brain was not able to put together an explanation as to why she would be hearing a voice call out her name.

"Mary Margaret?"

It was coming from the next room and this voice rattled her, she dropped her tea cup to the floor and it shattered into pieces that cut through the splashing hot water. Her name was being called by a voice that she had feared in the deepest part of her soul that she would never hear again.

"David?" Her voice was shaky and weak, filled with apprehension, fear that she was imagining things, fear that she had fallen asleep at his bedside and this was just some hopeful dream that would fade away when she woke up, turning the dream into a waking nightmare. Her wheelchair began to pick up steam as she rolled into the next room on automatic pilot, wondering if the hope she had banked away all these years was going to be at long last, rewarded.

"Mary Margaret." His eyes brightened as he saw his wife's face, pale though it was. Her lungs weren't working, no air was coming in, her heart had gone into overdrive, pounding in her chest.

"David!" Not knowing how it happened, how she got there so fast, but she was suddenly squeezing her husband in her arms, not worrying about the tubes from the IV or the nasal cannula on his face. His embrace was slightly weaker than her's because of his atrophied muscles, but it felt natural and wonderful to her regardless. "Oh my God David! I've missed you so much! I love you! I love you!"

"I love you too." His voice was a little weak and his throat was already getting sore but he desperately needed to speak to his wife. "Mary, listen. I have to tell you-" Reluctantly she pulled away and looked into her husband's eyes. "It was Gold."

Lying awake in bed staring at the ceiling Emma could not remember a night like the one she had just endured. Her alarm clock read three o'clock in the morning, she was certain of it even though she hadn't turned to check. Lily. Neal. Gold. Storybrooke. Then coming home to find out that her father had come out of his coma, she was emotionally exhausted. The ups and downs of the night had drained every reserve of energy she had. Her shock and then absolute joy when she had come home was the most intense feeling she could recall. The scene was unreal to her and had a dreamlike quality when she saw the nurse taking her father's vitals and her mother's contagious joy shining brightly on her face from his bedside. As fast as a bolt of lightning Emma was kneeling by the bed grasping her father's hand and crying tears of joy. To see him smile at her and to hear him say her name made her feel like she was seven years old again. She was positive that she had said _I love you_ and _I missed you so much_ a million times to him in less than five minutes.

The happy occasion was stained however when they discussed the subject of their accident and Robert Gold. Her parents were shocked when they found out that Emma had just found out that Gold had tried to kill David. Her father told her about that night and what lead up to the crash, finding Gold's drug operation and then being discovered. After all the excitement of the night it was obvious that David was struggling to stay awake, even though he had been in a coma for six years his endurance was nowhere near what it once was and he was rapidly becoming drowsy. The doctor would be visiting the next day to give David a thorough examination and even though both Mary Margaret and Emma wanted to spend more time with him, it was agreed upon that he needed his rest. Shortly after he fell asleep Mary Margaret and Emma both chose to retire for the night as well, both drained from the evening's excitement.

But now Emma was wide awake, too tired to sleep. Her thoughts kept traveling back to a sleepy little town in Maine called Storybrooke and how she would have to travel there soon.

The place where a certain brunette mayor lived.

 _My dearest Emma,_

 _As I write this tonight I am feeling absolutely mortified. I embarrassed myself by foolishly kissing Ruby! Your best friend! I feel like such a bad person. I can try to blame my actions on being overly intoxicated but that is no excuse for my loss of control. Ruby attempted to console me by insisting that it wasn't a big deal, but to me it was. I feel as if I betrayed you, and with your best friend no less. It's just that I feel so lonely Emma, I haven't been with anyone in years. I know that is no excuse for making unwanted advances on someone else, I just hope that Ruby can find it in her heart to forgive me. I would be devastated if I alienated the only person in this world who wants to be my friend._

 _When she told me about your girlfriend, Lily, I guess I just wanted to feel something. Anything. Besides jealousy that is. I know I have no right to be jealous really. We aren't together and we never were together. I see that you have moved on with your life and found someone to love, and I should be happy for you. It is so hard to find that special someone and I hope she makes you feel loved. I realize now that I never could._

 _I'm probably insane. Sane people do not obsess over someone like this! You probably haven't given me a second thought since you moved to Boston. Yet I sit here pining over you like some lunatic. I'm such a fool. I wish I could tell my heart to forget you, but I can't. You are my love, even though I will probably die alone without you ever knowing it._

 _I just can't seem to accept that we are just not meant to be together. In my heart it feels like we are meant to be, however logic and life seem determined to prove me wrong. I'm a fool._

 _A lonely fool who will forever be alone._

"Special Agent Emma Nolan." The ringing of her phone snapped her out of the daze she had been stuck in all morning, even her morning coffee hadn't lifted the fog in her brain.

"This is Special Agent August Booth from New York, I wanted to fill you in on the Neal Gold situation. I understand this is very personal to you."

Emma chuckled into the phone, she wondered if this Agent Booth knew just how personal this was to her. "You can certainly say that. So what's the news?" Her tone was businesslike as she kept her emotions in check. Even just talking about Neal was enough to get her pissed off.

"Well the Attorney General has gotten involved in this case now." Emma's eyebrows raised in surprise.

"Really? He's taken it from the New York district attorney?"

"Yeah, his father Robert Gold is one of the biggest drug dealers on the eastern seaboard. He's even got his tentacles in operations across the Atlantic. The AG wants to take him down and this would be a big win for the Justice Department." She could hear the slight irritation in his voice.

"You don't think it's the right call?" She prodded the man. He exhaled before answering.

"I agree with the idea but I don't agree with the plan. The AG doesn't want to go to trial with only Neal's testimony against his father, he thinks the case isn't strong enough. He doesn't want to take any chances on an acquittal, so they want Neal to wear a wire."

Emma scoffed in disgust. "A wire? Neal's an idiot. If he gets anywhere near his father while he's mic'd up Gold will smell it on him like a skunk after a marathon. Gold's too smart for that."

"I agree, but the decision was made well above my pay grade."

"I know all about that." Emma muttered. "How are they even going to get him out? The bastard's supposed to be locked up?" The whole thing sounded impossible to pull off.

"There's a judge Spenser up in Storybrooke who's been making a lot of noise about having Neal moved to Maine to be tried there." Emma interrupted him.

"I know the fucker. He's in Gold's pocket."

"We figured. The AG thinks Spenser's dirty, as well as the sheriff, hell most of the local government in Storybrooke. He figures that Neal is going to get enough dirt to take everybody down."

"The whole town? Neal?" Emma shook her head. "That's a big load to lay on those weak shoulders. Although I wouldn't mind seeing it happen, this is going to get Neal killed before he gets anything useful."

"That's what I was thinking too." Booth paused and Emma started to think the call dropped before he spoke again. "How much vacation time do you have?"

"What?"

"I was thinking maybe you would want to spend a few weeks back in your hometown." Emma smiled to herself as she realized what the agent on the other line was hinting at. "So what do you say Agent Swan?"

"Working late tonight my dear?" Interpol Agent Belle French jumped with a start from the sound of her _boss's_ wife and she closed the drawer of Robert Gold's desk before speaking. Her undercover assignment to get evidence against Gold had so far turned up nothing since her placement as his secretary. The target was very good at covering his tracks, his office and mansion had been searched everywhere with the exception of his desk; the desk that Cora Mills had just found her behind.

"Ah, yes I was just replacing some files that I was using earlier before leaving for the night." She was a practiced and experienced agent, but something about the woman who had married Gold always made her nervous, maybe it was her cold and calculating manner. It was like she was constantly evaluating and plotting when she interacted with others.

Cora folded her arms and raised her chin slightly, a stance that Belle recognized from when the woman intended to intimidate someone. "Curious. I didn't think Robert kept files in his desk drawers." An eyebrow raised on the older woman's face. "Aren't they stored in the file cabinets to your right?"

Belle would not be intimidated by the woman however, Cora Mills believed she was smarter than just about everyone but she had not reasoned on matching wits with an undercover operative. "Yes, all the paper files are kept there but I was replacing a thumb drive that I used today." She lifted one of the thumb drives out of the drawer and held it up for Cora to see and then she pasted on an innocent smile before opening the drawer again and replacing it.

Cora grimaced, she didn't like to be made to look foolish, especially by the _help._ "Well I believe it is late my dear, time for you to go home now." Her voice was cold just like her eyes that narrowed at this attractive young girl that her husband had hired.

Without hesitation Belle walked from around the desk and crossed the room, careful to keep her pace normal and unhurried. Passing by the stationary Cora Mills, Belle turned to face her with another smile. "Goodnight ma'am." Cora scowled at her back as Belle walked away, the girl had raised her suspicions since day one. She quickly moved to the desk and slid open the drawer, seeing three thumb drives inside.

"I don't trust her Robert." Cora snapped as she applied her night cream to her face while Robert buttoned his pajama top and pulled the comforter down on the bed. He smirked at the woman and spoke with a tiny bit of contempt.

"Jealousy doesn't look good on you dearie."

Cora scoffed. "Jealous? Please Robert, you know very well that's not how this marriage works." From across the king sized bed she motioned her hand towards his crotch. "I could care less who or what you stick that little thing of yours into."

"Careful dearie." He growled through his teeth.

"I found her in your office tonight Robert." She slid into the bed and pulled the comforter up to her chest while she rested her back against the large plush headboard. "What would she be doing there this late at night?"

"One of the peculiar things about being my secretary is the funny little requirement of having to go into my office. I realize you might be confused about what the duties of an employee entail." He chuckled to himself as he finished his retort. "Having never worked a day in your life." He then entered the bed as well, an ocean of space separated the two occupants lying atop the mattress. "Regardless, there is no need for concern. There is nothing in this house that can be used to link my business to anything untoward. Belle knows nothing and has access to nothing." He turned away from her and rested his head on his pillow. "Now if you'll excuse me I need to get some sleep. I have a lot to do tomorrow to take care of my son's mess."

Cora harrumphed humorlessly. "Ah yes, your son. He could ruin us Robert! That fool knows more than he should. You should never have indulged him so much, he never had the focus to work for you and you know it." Gold sighed but remained silent, as much as it pained him to admit it, Cora was right. Neal was dangerous and needed to be set free immediately before he panicked and sang like a canary to save his own skin.

"I admit that my son lacks business sense, but I trust him to remain loyal. He is my son after all." He spoke without opening his eyes, hoping that his wife would drop the subject and allow him to sleep. Of course Cora Mills-Gold always needed to have the final word.

"You need to get him out of the country Robert." She finished with a stern command. "He has to leave and never return, do you understand me Robert?"

With another sigh he replied, this infuriating woman was very exhausting normally but when she felt threatened she was positively unbearable. Not for the first time he questioned his sanity for partnering up with the disagreeable woman. "Of course I do my dear wife." He said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Judge Spencer will get Neal moved to Storybrooke where Killian and I will get him safely out of the country and back home to Glasgow."

"What if he decides to leave again? You know how your son loves to seek out trouble, he can't stay still for an hour, do you really think he will play nice and do as he's told this time?" She scoffed.

"This time he will." Gold spoke, his tone signaling that the conversation was over. "If he doesn't there will be consequences." He muttered to himself. "Serious consequences."

"So you're just going to go?" Lily was standing in the doorway to Emma's bedroom with her arms crossed watching the blonde as she packed. "What about your job?"

Emma continued her packing, she had been dreading this moment since she decided to go back to Storybrooke. The town was always a sore spot between them and now this seemed to be the proverbial last straw. "I have some vacation time coming, so I'm using that."

"And what's that? Two weeks?" She threw her arms in the air and began to raise her voice. "Is all this going to wrap up in two weeks Emma?"

Emma shook her head as she finished zipping up her suitcase, Lily was not about to let this go. She knew if they hoped to ever get past this as a couple, then they had to deal with this now. Emma did not like confrontations, she half wished that she had just left and called Lily from the road. But Lily deserved better than that, she deserved to have this out face to face, Emma couldn't take the coward's way out. She owed Lily that much. "I put in for a leave of absence, my job will still be here when I get back."

" _If_ you come back." Lily muttered under her breath loud enough for Emma to hear. "When were you going to tell me about this _leave_ of yours? After a month or two? Or maybe you'd just stop calling me after awhile."

"You're not being fair Lily! This isn't some trip I'm taking! I'm not going to be fucking sightseeing!" Emma was becoming angry and she wasn't entirely sure why. She felt like she was being attacked and had reflexively gone on the defensive, even though she knew that Lily wasn't that far from the truth. "I'm going there to help the Bureau take down the people that ruined my life!"

"You mean _both_ of your lives don't you?" Emma's face went blank and her mouth opened and closed as she tried to find the words to refute Lily's accusation. "I'm right aren't I? This is about you going to the rescue of your precious Regina! You want to play the hero and wrap her up in your arms don't you! This is your chance to be her savior! You are dying to see her again admit it!" Lily was in tears and right in Emma's face with a fury and hurt that she had never seen before. "Because you love her." Her voice was small and her body seemed to shrink down in front of Emma. "You've always been in love with her." Emma wanted to comfort her but she knew that Lily would just pull away, so she kept her arms where they were, hanging stiffly at her sides. "And you never loved me."

"Lily I-"

"Save it." Hot tears ran down Lily's cheeks as her shoulders squared up again. Her anger was back, but Emma could still see the pain burning in her eyes. "Don't even try to deny it Emma. You know it's true, you don't love me. And you never will." Lily wiped her cheeks with her hands and then laughed. "And I knew it too! I knew that she would always be number one in your heart and I was just some placeholder for you. But, fool that I am, I stayed with you. Hoping that one day I might be enough for you and you would forget about her. What kind of idiot does that make me?"

It was all true, and Emma didn't know what to say. "Lily. I'm so sorry." Lily laughed again.

"Well, that makes it all better I guess." Lily covered her face with her hands and then took them away, her face was now calm and committed. "I'll save you the trouble Emma. Go to her. We're done, you're free." She turned on her heel and began to leave, Emma followed behind her, still unsure what she was supposed to say.

"Lily! Wait!" Lily got to the door and turned around, Emma was amazed at the honest compassion she saw on Lily's face.

"No Emma, I mean it. I hope you two finally find each other. I wish you two a long and happy life together. Goodbye." With a heartfelt smile and tears in her eyes, Lily nodded to Emma and then she was gone.

"What's _she_ doing here?" Dr. Whale had been chatting with the new nurse Ann, a pretty young thing that had recently started at Storybrooke Hospital, which meant that she hadn't heard the tales of his wandering eyes and hands. His attention was drawn first by Nurse Potts interrupting the rather humorous tale that he was gifting to Ann, sticking her old fat hand between them to retrieve a medical chart; after giving the old nurse a scowl he caught sight of the target of his snippy question, Mayor Regina Mills. He hated the way she paraded around as if she was better than everyone else, better than the town, better than him. Ann noticed the change in his demeanor and used the distraction as an opportunity to slip away from the creepy doctor.

"The mayor is here to start the immunizations for little Henry." Mrs. Potts detested the arrogant doctor and the way he preyed upon anything in a skirt, she was grateful that she was at least twenty years past the doctor's target window for harassment.

Dr. Whale turned his nose up and sniffed, a secretive smile on his face that Mrs' Potts couldn't comprehend. "Ah yes, little Henry." She shook her head as he smirked and moved away from him, already forgetting the repugnant doctor as she focused on her next patient. Whale hadn't notice Ann leaving nor had he noticed Mrs. Potts' bewildered glance as she walked away, he was too busy relishing in his secret knowledge. "Madam Mayor's son." He chuckled knowing that only three other people in the world knew the truth about young Henry's parentage.

He would just love to be the one who would break the news to her.


	16. Chapter 16

Two crushed cigarette butts were partially ground into the patchy and worn grass, inches away from his mud splattered boots. Soon those two would be joined by another and Killian Jones shook his head at that realization, blowing out a cloud of grey smoke that hung momentarily in the heavy and damp atmosphere before dissipating. One of these days he would quit for good, he told himself again, the nasty habit was expensive and there were fewer and fewer places that he was able to smoke. Seeing the two he had already finished and the one he was working on now, he didn't have a lot of faith in his ability to quit. Boredom didn't help the habit either, smoking let him do something to keep himself busy when he was burdened with menial tasks, like the one he was currently stuck with.

Tasked with escorting Neil from the state line to the station after the handoff from the state trooper was not an exciting assignment but it was a necessary one. That little prick Neil knew too much and he had to be dealt with one way or the other, Killian hoped it would be done the _one_ way and not _the other_ , but he knew that he would be the one ultimately to take care of it regardless of the outcome. Although he seldom agreed with Cora Mills-Gold, this time he did, they both knew that it would be best for all involved if Neal went away forever. But Robert Gold loved his son to a fault and his vision had always been clouded when it came to Neal. Killian couldn't relate to that kind of devotion to someone else, not anymore. Not since her. She was the reason he was still with Gold, the reason he had his box of secrets. He ground his teeth at the memory, the painful memory of that night years ago. Both he and Gold knew that one day there would come a reckoning for that night. But know was not the time.

As he leaned on the patrol car under the gray clouds that were heavy with rain he heard a car approaching. It was coming in the right direction and Killian muttered under his breath. "About bloody time." The car grew closer and he frowned when he saw that it wasn't a squad car but a yellow Beetle. The small Volkswagen passed the wooden sign that read "Welcome To Storybrooke" and sheriff Jones watched the daughter of the former sheriff race past him. All he saw was long blonde hair and the burning rage in green eyes flash by. "Shit." He sighed and retrieved his cell phone from his pants. After three rings the call was answered and Killian spoke. "Guess who's back in town. Emma Nolan."

Her knuckles were white as she gripped the steering wheel hard. Emma had passed Killian Jones a mile ago and it had taken all her strength not to jerk the wheel of her car and run the bastard over for what he had done to her parents. It was getting dark so she headed to the diner, to Ruby. She was going to need somewhere to stay while she was in town and she was hoping that her friend would be able to take her in on such short notice. She was tired from having driven the nearly four hour trip nonstop, but she wanted to get to Storybrooke as soon as possible. There was just so much going on that she needed to take care of here, first and foremost on her list was making sure that lowlife Neal would keep his end of the bargain. She hated to rely on him in order to get justice but as of now he was the only one who could get the evidence they needed to put Gold away.

Then there was Regina. So many questions about the beautiful brunette mayor floated around in her head, distracting her so much that she nearly missed her turn. How was she doing? How had she become a mother? Was she married now? Was she seeing someone? Had she fallen in love? Had she moved on from Emma? They were questions that she needed answered and she new Ruby would have the information she so desperately craved.

She pulled up at the diner and got out of her car, seeing the diner brought back bittersweet memories and clouded her vision with nostalgia. This was practically her home away from home while growing up and the place had so many good times embedded in its walls. With a sigh she reminded herself that those times were gone, plans and dreams for a bright future had been darkened by fate and reality. Now the diner seemed to be only a reminder of a life that could have been. With a look of determination and courage that she didn't feel inside, she stepped through the door. Instantly the smell of burgers and fries, pies and coffee, meatloaf and pancakes filled her nose and made her stomach rudely remind her that she needed to eat.

Emma stepped up to the counter and sat down, a teenage girl came up to her and handed her a menu. "Welcome to Granny's." The waitress regarded her with curiosity. "New in town?" Emma grinned at her as she opened her menu.

"I used to live here. It's been about six years since I was last here." She told her. The waitress smiled politely back.

"Well welcome back to Storybrooke. What can I get you?"

"I'll take some" She didn't finish her order as the kitchen door swung open and a loud voice interrupted her.

"Emma Swan Nolan! As I live and breathe!" Ruby practically ran around the counter and dragged Emma off her stool, enveloping her in a hug so hard that Emma thought she would crack a rib.

"Good to see you too Rubes!" She gasped out. Ruby pulled back but kept her hands clamped hard on Emma's biceps as if the woman would bolt out of the diner if she let go.

"My God Emma! What are you doing here? Why didn't you call and tell me you were coming?" Ruby eyes showed her confusion but the huge ear to ear grin never wavered. Her happiness was contagious and the cobwebs of doubt that hung in Emma's brain were swept away by her best friend's smile.

"It was a spur of the moment kinda thing Rubes." She grinned as Ruby finally released her grip and they both sat down on the stools facing each other. "I needed to get here fast. There wasn't any time to call you."

Ruby rolled her eyes. "I've heard that song and dance before." Although she said it in jest Emma could see the hurt in her friend's eyes. Emma reached out and patted Ruby's hand.

"I know Ruby, I've been a terrible friend." Emma glanced at the teenage waitress and the girl took the hint and sheepishly walked away, silently excusing herself from the personal conversation. "I haven't kept in touch like I should have. That's my fault, but I'm going to change that." She spoke from the heart, her life had become so focused on her job and her parents that she had pushed everyone else aside, including Lily. "Will you forgive me?" She pouted and gave Ruby a heavy dose of her puppy dog eyes and it caused Ruby to snicker.

"I guess so!" She drawled out the so and shook Emma by the shoulders playfully. "Now you have to tell me what was so important that you had to zoom up here?" Emma looked around cautiously at the crowded diner, there were far too many people here, too many pairs of ears that could be listening in for Gold. She shook her head before she answered her friend.

"I can't talk about it here." She whispered. "I can tell you later tonight."

Ruby nodded, confused again but willing to take Emma at her word. "Okay. But you have to stay with me while you're in town."

Emma smiled widely. "Deal!"

Ruby suddenly eyed her suspiciously, she crossed her arms and cocked her head to the side. "Wait a minute. You didn't have any place to go anyway! You were planning on _me_ asking _you_ to stay!"

Emma shrugged innocently. "Maybe." Ruby swatted her arm.

"You played me you bitch!" They both laughed and Emma realized then how much she had truly missed her best friend.

It was a nervous habit that she despised and she hated herself for doing it, her fingers pulled at their counterparts on the other hand, wringing and rubbing, she was going to rub her skin raw but she couldn't help herself. It couldn't be a coincidence that Emma Nolan shows up at the same time that Neal is moved back to Storybrooke.

Emma Swan Nolan had been an annoyance for Cora for almost twenty years and she found it hard to comprehend how that skinny little blonde could cause her so much trouble. For some reason fate had saw fit to curse her with this complication in her life. Regina had been under the spell of that little temptress for almost her entire life and it infuriated her mother. Regina had wasted so many years on her sickening _unrequited love_ fixation, placing her affection into this woman. Cora had tried to explain to her daughter, she tried punishing her, she had commanded her, she warned her that her deviant feelings for another woman were dangerous. Disgusting. That she would be shunned from society, she would be treated differently, she would be looked on with disdain, shamed. Regina did not understand, her mother understood though, she understood all too well.

Now she was forced to unleash her last gambit, to execute the plan that had been set in motion a year ago. Shooing away her nervous energy she moved her hands over her expensive pant suit and adjusted the stylish hat pinned to her hair, then she pressed the button near the door sounding the melodious doorbell for 108 Mifflin Street. Moments later the door opened and Cora saw the surprise followed by irritation on her daughter's face. "Mother." Regina said with an even, if not friendly tone of voice. "I wasn't expecting you today." Regina pulled back from the door, cradling the baby in her arms, her eyes clearly signaling that the impromptu visit of her parent was unwelcome.

"Regina dear" Cora spoke in a soothing voice while the smirk on her face reflected her feeling of control over her daughter. "I raised you better than this. Aren't you going to invite me inside? Has becoming a mother made you forget your manners." Silently Regina stepped to the side, looking away from her mother and into the foyer, yielding once again to her mother's will. "That's better my dear." Cora smiled as she stepped inside her former home, allowing Regina to close the door behind her.

"To what do I owe this brief visit mother?" Her choice of words a deliberate one. Cora returned the snippy comment with a raised eyebrow and then turned around to take in the view of the interior. Looking at the changes in decor made her cluck her teeth in dissapointment, most of the furnishings that she had chosen were gone, replaced with a more contemporary look that made the mansion far less elegant in her eyes. Sighing dramatically she took in the abundance of baby items that were in plain view, a cradle, a changing table, a bag of diapers, bottles, baby toys.

 _All a means to an end Cora, all a means to an end._ She told herself as she walked further into the living area as if it was still her home and not her daughter's. "I came to see my grandson of course." She remarked without a backwards glance to the child, finding the sofa she moved a baby blanket from the cushion and sat down, her posture as practised as ever.

"Of course you did. How foolish of me to think otherwise." Regina sniped back as she too sat on the sofa at the other end, her posture more natural than her mother's as she gently rocked the cooing baby boy.

"I suppose a decent cup of tea is out of the question?" Cora sniffed and Regina scoffed in mock amusement.

"I could warm up some baby formula for you if you're really thirsty."

Cora shook her head in disappointment. "No need to be rude dear." She folded her hands in her lap and adopted a sympathetic expression. "To be honest this is not a social call, I bring shocking news that I just became privy to."

Regina narrowed her eyes at her mother in suspicion before she spoke. "What are you talking about mother? What news?" Cora placed a hand on Regina's knee and it took all the control the younger woman could muster to not pull away from the contact.

"It concerns young Henry." Regina's eyes went wide and she reflexively hugged him tighter to her chest, causing small legs and arms to wiggle.

"What is it? What about Henry?" Her voice was nervous, her thoughts raced. _Is there something wrong with him? Was he sick? Did the agency not disclose something about his health and the hospital just now discovered it?_ She felt tears prick the back of her eyes as her body tensed, she could not imagine what she would do if something happened to Henry. So quickly he had become her whole life that now the possibility of losing him filled her with a panic she had never imagined herself capable of. She resolved that if there _was_ something wrong with her child she would move Heaven and Earth for him, she would bankrupt herself and spend every last penny. Nothing would take her son from her, nothing.

"It's about his parentage." Cora spoke quietly as if someone would overhear her. "It has all become very complicated."

Regina found it hard to catch her breath, her throat seemed to be closing rapidly. "Was there something wrong with the adoption? A form that wasn't completed properly? If so, then I will sign anything they want! Is it money? I can pay whatever amount they are asking for!" She was begging, something she hated to do but she would be willing to crawl on her hands and knees from here to Kingdom Come if Henry's birth parents would let her keep her son. "Do they want him back?" The words came out in a shaky whisper, her lips trembling as they attempted to form the words that asked the question whose answer could shatter her heart into a million pieces.

Cora shrugged her shoulders and shook her head. "I don't know, but it is possible." The answer hit Regina like a kick to stomach, making her gulp down the rising bile in her throat. "It seems that the mother only recently found out about the child."

Regina's eyes widened in bewilderment. "The mother?" She stammered out the question. "How-how is that possible?" Cora sighed before answering her daughter.

"The child was born through a surrogate." Regina bristled from her mother referring to Henry as _the child_. "The mother's egg was harvested and inseminated without her knowledge."

Regina was stunned, her jaw dropped as she realized that Henry had a parent who had never given up custody legally. Her worst fears were coming true and she was beginning to panic.

"I was informed a little over an hour ago that she just arrived in town. I knew I had to hurry over and tell you the awful news in person."

Regina rose to her feet, clutching Henry tight and swinging her eyes around her living room wildly as if the woman would leap from around any corner to snatch her son away from her. Because Henry was _her_ son. Hers. "She's here in town?" Her voice raised an octave and she felt like she needed to run, to get as far away as possible.

Cora looked down and had to fight back a satisfied grin, everything was going as she had hoped. "Yes. And she is someone you know."

"What?" Her exclamation startled Henry and he began to cry, she shifted him in her arms and rubbed his back soothingly to calm him, wanting to join her son in crying as well. How could this be? How could Henry's biological mother be someone she knew? This had to be a nightmare, she would wake up soon and be lying in bed with Henry still asleep in his cradle beside her. _Wake up Regina! Please just wake up!_ "Who-who is she?"

"Emma."


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: So Once has been cancelled. I am disappointed but not surprised. I just hope they come up with a satisfying finale. Either way I hope the fandom survives and keeps writing and sharing these stories. Swanqueen forever!**

There could have been a tornado complete with a witch on a broomstick tearing through her house right then and she would not have noticed. Someone could be shooting arrows at an apple sitting on her head and she would have remained frozen in shock. A thousand volts could be coursing through her body and Regina would still feel numb.

"I-I don't believe it." The words came out of her mouth unprompted, as if they were wild horses that had been spooked by a snake and charged away in panic, refusing to be controlled by the rider. "How? How could she be Henry's mother?" Her eyebrows were furrowed in confusion.

Cora took a deep breath and painted a slightly distressed look on her face, as if she was struggling to break horrible news to her daughter and not preparing herself to deliver her latest move in her own grand chess game in which her daughter was only a pawn protecting the queen. "When Neal had drugged Emma during that graduation party years ago you recall that she was hospitalized."

Regina stiffened at the memory of that awful night, Emma's sickly pallor and the way she was slumped over, appearing lifeless as she sat in her car was an image that still haunted her. "Of course I remember." She snapped bitterly. "I was the one who drove her there."

"Yes dear." Cora nodded compassionately. "We both know how much Robert spoils his son." Bile began to rise in Regina's throat and her hands nervously rubbed Henry who had just begun to fuss. "I didn't know this at the time, but Neal's deranged mind was so fixated on Emma, so convinced that they belonged together that his plan that night was not just to rape Emma." Regina flinched at the word, that horrible word that represented the most terrible crime one person could inflict on another. With murder the victim's suffering ends, with rape however the victim's suffering continues for the rest of their life. It disgusted her thinking of what Neal had attempted, almost as much as it disgusted her when he went free.

But there was something about her mother's statement that bothered her just then. Cora had never admitted that she thought Neal had tried to force himself on Emma. In fact she had gone out of her way to downplay the incident. Regina found herself wondering why her mother had this sudden change of heart.

Cora continued. "Neal believed that if Emma became pregnant with his child then she would marry him and they would be a family." Regina shook her head in the negative, not wanting to believe, but slowly putting the pieces of the sick puzzle together. "You and Robin stopped him from succeeding just then, thankfully." That last word seemed to be tacked on in Regina's opinion, raising her antenna once more of her mother's true motives. "Neal would not give up so easily however, he managed to convince his father to use his influence to intervene. Robert pressured Dr. Whale to harvest one of Emma's eggs while she was drugged."

Regina's eyes went wide as she remembered the way Whale had enjoyed keeping her away from Emma when he brought her back to _examine_ her. "That bastard." Her low growl was nearly inaudible but still filled with absolute fury at the slimy doctor.

"So Whale harvested the egg and then inseminated it later when Neal provided a sample. Then they had the embryo frozen." Regina interrupted her mother just then by raising her hand and closing her eyes in disbelief.

"Wait, why did they wait so long to use it?" She narrowed her eyes at her mother suspiciously. "Why not use the embryo right away? Henry is not even a year old and they have had the embryo frozen since graduation? It doesn't make any sense!"

Cora held her hands up in surrender. "I have no idea how his disturbed mind works. Who can say what his motivation was for waiting so long? Like I said before, I only found out about this mess recently."

Her mother's statement didn't quite ring true to Regina, Cora was keeping something from her. Years of being exposed to her mother's lies had taught Regina how to read Cora when she did, and she was doing it now. But why? Regina decided not to call her on the false statements just now, she needed to investigate further. For now she would play the role and act as if she was taking her mother's claims at face value.

"When I realized what Neal was trying to do I decided to intervene. So I managed to convince Robert into forcing Neal to give up the baby and arrange a private adoption." Regina nodded in understanding, acting as if she was believing her mother's sudden personality shift from narcissism to altruism.

"So you decided to then give Henry to me."

Cora smiled and Regina was able to recognize the lack of authenticity. "He is family after all. I could not allow Neal to raise him, but I could also not have him raised by strangers."

"And the public image angle was just a fringe benefit. Am I correct in that assumption mother?" Regina had to place just the right amount of acidity in her tone to appear believable. Her mother would be wary if Regina was too accepting of Cora's intentions.

Cora frowned. "Now dear, if I had told you the whole truth of Henry's parentage right away would you really have accepted him?"

Regina picked up on the hidden meaning behind that statement. Cora believed that her daughter was just like her, that Regina was incapable of love. Cora thought that Regina would withhold love from an innocent child just because he had been born from a fiendish plan. Regina was not heartless, she would love the child no matter how he had been conceived. It saddened her to realize just how much her mother didn't know about her own daughter, how little she actually thought of her.

"Your _feelings_ for Emma might have clouded your judgement and you would have given Henry over to her."

"But if he was mine then I would fight to keep him." Regina finished for her mother, her anger growing as she realized how her mother assumed she could be so easily manipulated.

"Exactly. Like I said, Henry is family and I will not allow him to be raised by strangers."

Even though Emma is his biological mother, Regina thought. Emma was still considered a stranger by Cora's standards.

"And she is now in Storybrooke, and I can only assume that she found out about Henry and has come to take him from you." And there it was, thought Regina, the real reason Cora had done this was to pit her against Emma. Why? Why did Cora want her to fight Emma over Henry? To wedge them even further apart? Perhaps, but there had to be more to it than just that. Cora needed Emma to be occupied in a custody struggle for some reason. Regina could not figure out the reason just then, but she was positive that Cora had an ulterior motive in orchestrating this conflict. There was something more and Regina would find out what it was, but right now she would have her mother believe that she was firmly on her side.

"Henry is mine." Regina said it with conviction, conviction that came from truth, Henry was hers, but he was also Emma's. "I will not allow her to take him from me." At least that's what she would have Cora believe.

Emma had not expected Special Agent August Booth would come all the way from New York City, but here he was sitting in Ruby's living room. She figured that a check in over the phone would be sufficient, after all officially she wasn't even a part of the investigation. Then when he informed her that he would be staying in Storybrooke undercover she realized why he wanted to meet face to face.

Emma wondered how Ruby was doing right then, she was most likely fuming in the diner. August had told her to give the two agents some privacy while they discussed the case and Ruby was very offended by him giving her the bum's rush in her own home. Inwardly Emma was amused by August's need for secrecy, after all she was going to tell Ruby everything anyway. She was not about to keep secrets from her best friend that she had known since the cradle. She wouldn't tell _him_ that though, let him keep his veil of secrecy about the investigation.

"I have a cover already set up." He was explaining it to her as he leaned over the coffee table separating them in Ruby's living room. "I secured a job as a dock worker at Gold's cannery from our contact inside." Emma's eyebrows went up in surprise.

"You have a contact inside?"

August nodded. "Yes. He's a major player in Gold's operation and he's helping us in exchange for immunity." August stopped then and his brow furrowed, he reached for his steaming mug of coffee that Ruby had icily offered before being chased from her own home. "At this time I'm keeping his identity secret, only myself, the attorney general of New York and the AG in DC know who he is." Emma felt as if there was something going on, August's body language was telling her that he was uncomfortable. He seemed to be fidgeting with the cup in his hands and shuffling his feet slightly on Ruby's carpet. Did she know the informant? Is that what was making him nervous?

"Is it Neal?" She knew that he was being pressured to wear a wire, if August was suddenly being secretive about it then he wasn't as good an agent as she thought. August shook his head.

"No. Neal is still being used to get _more_ evidence, but he doesn't have the pull necessary to secure a job for me." He blew out a sigh and grinned at her over his mug. "Frankly he's not looked very highly upon in Gold's organization. He's known as a bit of a fuck up and not very useful. In fact if he wasn't Gold's son he wouldn't even be in the gang."

Emma nodded her head and smirked. "Yeah, that sounds like Neal alright. Speaking of which, when do I get to talk to the bastard?" She hit her fist against her open palm hard, wishing it was his face instead.

August took a sip of his coffee. "Tomorrow. He wants to talk to you too. Says he has something to tell you."

"I can think of a few things I could tell him." She muttered. "So how do you want me to play this?"

"For the time being just stay with him and be as pissed off as you can." Emma laughed out loud.

"Oh believe me, that won't be hard at all. If I wasn't an agent I'd put a bullet in his pea brain." August looked away nervously when he realized that she wasn't kidding.

"Mostly we want you to keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't try and double cross us. Keep your ears open too. You're from here so you would hear about him trying to get out of town before I would. We can't let him get out of the country."

Emma didn't need to be reminded about how slippery that asshole was. "Oh don't worry, he won't be going anywhere." Emma sat back in her chair and looked at him, measuring the agent. "So how far is the investigation going? Who else are you looking at besides Gold?"

"We think his wife is in it with him. We're also looking at Judge Spenser and some others."

Emma raised her eyebrow and held her breath, she could feel her heart pounding in her chest like a jackhammer. "What about the mayor?"

August frowned in confusion. "Who? Regina Mills? As far as we can tell she's clean." He shrugged his shoulders and then rubbed his eyes tiredly. "She's not involved in anything and as far as we know she doesn't even know it exists."

Emma felt as if a weight had been lifted of her chest. She knew that Regina would never, _could never,_ be a part of anything nefarious. It was a relief however to hear that officially she wasn't even on the FBI's radar. Emma didn't think she could handle it if Regina was involved. If it came down between the law and Regina, she honestly wasn't sure what side she would choose.

August yawned and stretched. "Well, I'm going to head to my room at the motel. I drove all the way up here and I haven't slept since yesterday." They stood and she walked him to the door, he turned to her before opening it. "We can't be seen talking to each other anymore. We only communicate on the phone from now on."

She held up her hand and rolled her eyes. "Take it easy agent Booth. I'm an agent too remember? I have run my fair share of undercover ops." She was slightly irritated at him for even suggesting she needed to be told how to act. He noticed her bristle and he tried to backpedal.

"Hey, I'm sorry. Like I said, I'm tired. I didn't mean anything by it, I'm just a little punchy right now, that's all." He grinned apologetically. "You're a good agent."

"Apology accepted." She sighed and relaxed her shoulders. "Be careful special agent Booth."

He nodded at her as he walked out. "I always am."

She could not stand the disgusting little man's eyes on her for much longer. His constant leering made her skin crawl and she just wanted to punch him in his fat nose. Belle knew that if she stayed undercover much longer that Robert Gold's salacious staring would morph into touches, and she got sick to her stomach thinking about his slimy hands on her.

"If that will be all I should probably be heading home Mr. Gold." She was standing by his door while he looked up from whatever illegal paperwork he was tending to on his desk. Belle wanted to get out of there and into a hot shower like she had done every night since she began her assignment. Just being around a criminal like him made her feel like she needed to wash off any residue she might have picked up from his dark aura. Gold closed the file on the paper work and set his pen on top, then rose to his feet. _Oh God. He's going to walk over here. Be strong Belle!_

"My, my dearie." He sneered as he hobbled over on his ornately carved cane with the golden handle. "Why the rush? Do you have a date with some lucky man tonight?"

She shook her head and put a demure smile on her face, hoping that it appeared sincere. "Oh no Mr. Gold. I'm not seeing anyone." He moved closer into her personal space and she had to hold back a shudder. "I'm far too busy with work here."

He reached out and moved some strands of her auburn hair out of her face. She felt as if she would vomit the contents of her stomach right there on his expensive suit. It took all of her willpower not to recoil from his unwanted touch. She kept telling herself that it would all be worth it when they took him down. "That's a shame dearie." He gave her a grin that reminded her of a jungle cat eyeing its prey, preparing to pounce. "A beauty such as yourself should never spend even one night alone."

Gold leaned in closer and his eyes fell to her lips. _Okay. That's it, case or no case if he kisses me I'm kneeing him in his balls!_ "If she stays any longer you'll have to pay her overtime Robert." Cora's sarcastic tone shattered the moment and Belle nearly breathed a sigh of relief as Gold jumped back and scowled at his wife. Belle had never been so happy to see his shrew of a wife in her life.

"Goodnight Mr. Gold. Mrs. Gold." She nearly sprinted away from the two of them but not before seeing the murderous stare Gold was giving his wife. Quickly she grabbed her purse and coat and was out of the house like a bat out of Hell.

After she was gone Cora crossed her arms and smirked at Robert triumphantly. "Let me guess. This was going to be the night that you finally bed the little trollop." She chuckled at his simmering anger. "I'm so very sorry I interrupted you."

"I'm sure you are dearie." He muttered as he turned from her and hobbled back to his desk. Cora glanced behind her in the direction that Belle had escaped.

"I can't totally fault you husband. She is a very attractive woman."

Gold seated himself at his desk and threw daggers at his wife with his eyes. "You would know." He grinned in satisfaction. "Wouldn't you dearie?"

Cora's cheeks colored red from the fury building inside her. "That will be enough of that kind of talk, Robert." Her voice signaled that there was a line that he was dangerously close to crossing.

He smiled at his victory over his wife. "Of course dearie. We wouldn't want anyone listening to get the _wrong_ idea about you would we? It would damage your image for everyone to find out you are-"

"Enough Robert!" She cut him off with an angry shout. After a moment she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, slowly she relaxed her hands and uncoiled the fists she had clenched at her sides. Gold opened his folder and began to get back to his work.

"As much as I appreciate this impromptu visit from my loving and sexualy frustrated wife." Her blood began to boil again at his remark. "I am very busy as you know. We have a very important delivery coming in two nights." He narrowed his eyes at her. "I needn't remind you how essential it is that everything go smoothly."

She sighed and waved her hand at him dissmissing his concern. "I'm well aware Robert. Now if you will listen for a moment you'll understand why I came to see you. Emma Nolan is in town. You remember her? The FBI agent?"

Gold put down his pen and tented his fingers as he rested his elbows on her desk. "I'm aware of her arrival."

She raised an eyebrow. "Well, don't you find it odd?"

He sighed in frustration at the woman, at times she could be insufferable. "What should I find odd?"

She smiled at the way she could push his buttons. "Emma's sudden arrival? Your son's arrest and the ease of his transfer here? Ms. Belle French's timely employment? All happening when the largest shipment ever is due to arrive in days?" She laughed with condecension. "Surely you're bright enough to put two and two together."

He wanted to snap back at her, he wanted to belittle her speculations, but she was right. There _were_ too many coincidences to ignore. He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

Cora watched him as he thought, whatever she thought of him as a spouse, he was a very shrewd man who had always outsmarted his rivals. He would handle the situation, but she decided that she might make some decisions on her own, for her own safety.

Emma sat on Ruby's couch and stared at her phone, like she had been doing for the past hour. It was around 7 at night, so it wasn't too late to call or too early that she might be working, it was the perfect time. _Sure. The perfect time. Hey Regina, how ya doing? What's been going on for the last six years?_ Emma groaned in frustration and ran her fingers through her long blonde hair, effectively making it a hot mess. She had no idea how to approach Regina, no idea what she would say, no idea what she _should_ say.

Regina was a mother now, how the Hell did that happen? Ruby told her that Regina had adopted the baby because she was so lonely. Thinking about that made a lump begin to form in her throat. Regina had felt so alone for six years. _Six years!_ Her heart broke for Regina, she had no one to come home to, no one to talk to, no one to laugh with, no one to cry with. Emma had her mother, she had _had_ Lily, she had Ruby, there were coworkers that she could hang out with after work. But what Ruby had told her had nearly brought Emma to tears, if Regina wasn't acting in her capacity as mayor then she was holed up in her mansion isolated from society. Ruby told her that beside shopping or eating in public alone, no one would see Regina. If someone happened to stumble across the mayor on the street they were met with the most intimidating and iciest personality in town.

Emma was shocked to hear how Regina had changed in the six years she had last seen her. The Regina she knew had always been kind and compassionate, shy and yet friendly at the same time. She had built walls around her and effectively shut out the world, Regina hid behind those walls because she didn't want to be hurt anymore. Had she done that, Emma wondered, was she the reason that Regina had barricaded herself in her home and hid for six years? The thought chilled her to the bone. Why hadn't she stayed? She should have fought for her, she should have refused to leave Storybrooke, Cora be damned. But Regina had pleaded with her to go, she was so afraid of her mother that she begged Emma to leave. But she should have stood her ground, she should have wrapped the fearful brunette beauty into her arms and promise her that nothing and no one would ever come between the two of them. Why didn't she do that? What made her listen and leave?

Was it fear? Was Emma herself afraid? If she had just stayed then they would have not wasted those six years of their lives. Why did she have to be such a coward? Well no longer, she thought with determination. She picked her phone up from the table and called the number that Ruby had given her. The phone rang. Twice. Three times. On the fourth ring the voicemail answered.

"You have reached the private residence of Mayor Mills. Mayoral business calls must go to the town hall." _That's it?_ Emma thought the greeting was brief nearly to the point of being rude, and her voice sounded so cold, robotic, emotionless.

At the beep Emma cleared her throat and wished she had drank some water before she called because her mouth had suddenly gone dry. "Hi." She was stuck. She wasn't sure what to say. Internally she cursed herself for being so unprepared. "Um, Regina, this is Emma. Um Emma Nolan?" _Oh God._ "I uh, just got in town and uh, I wanted to see if you, uh that is I wanted to see you, um." She hadn't realized that she had gotten up from the couch and started pacing. _Stupid! You are so stupid Emma!_ "If you want to, that is, see me, you know, um maybe for coffee at the diner, or I don't know? Something else maybe?" _Wrap it up you moron._ "Anyhoo." _Anyhoo? ANYHOO?! What the fuck is wrong with you?! Hang up you idiot!_ "So, the ball's in your court or whatever. Heh heh. Anyway, um call me or you know, whatever. Um it's good to speak with you again. Well not you! Your voicemail! Although it's nice to hear it. You! Not your voicemail!" _Just die already._ "Okay. Um. Bye." She ended the call and threw her phone on the couch. She put her face in her hands and groaned her frustration, loudly.

She must have come across like a babbling fool. There's no way that Regina would call her back, she probably thought Emma had some type of brain injury that caused her to have diahrea of the mouth. She wanted to pull her blonde lockes out. Why had she suddenly turned into a nervous teenager again? It was if she was back in high school trying to get Regina to notice her.

With another groan she plopped herself onto the couch and laid there on her stomach for a while with her head burrowing into the cushions. Without moving her head she groped around on the couch for her phone, finding it she finally turned her head to it and dialed her home number.

"Hello?" Her mother's voice was pleasant and helped to sooth her shattered ego.

"Mom?" Emma grumbled. "Why did you and dad have to raise such an idiot?"


	18. Chapter 18

Regina's time during work hours was suddenly consumed by the planning of the annual Mayor's Ball, which was confusing for her assistant. The mayor had never seemed to care about the event in years past, leaving nearly all of the decisions to the assistant. This year however marked the first time that Regina had showed interest in the ball at all, besides the date and time, since becoming mayor. During Cora's terms as mayor, the ball was the high point on the social calendar and only the elite were invited to attend. Regina had continued the tradition in nearly the same manner that her mother had, although Regina would rarely stay more than an hour at the ball, just long enough to make an appearance. Privately Regina detested the affair for its pomposity and blatant classism, the very idea that the attendees considered themselves the betters of the _common_ folk made her nauseous. It disgusted her so much in fact that she refused to have the ball in the mayoral mansion as her mother had done, she had the event moved to the town hall, not wanting her house filled with snobs and stiff necked dullards.

Now, in her assistant's opinion, it appeared that the mayor had done a complete 180 degree turn in regards to her feelings for the event. Regina seemed almost energized in the planning of the ball, every detail was now carefully chosen even down to the lighting of the ballroom. The main concern of the mayor seemed to be the theme of the ball itself, whereas in the past it was simply a black tie event, it had now become a masqeraude ball. It would also be a complete masquerade as well, unlike typical masquerade's were half masks were worn and the identity of the person easily recognized, Regina was insisting that all attendees wear full masks that completely disguised the person. She demanded that the identity of each attendee be secret and unable to be determined by anyone, the only way to know who was behind the mask would be by that person revealing themselves on their own.

The assistant was required to make sure that each mask was unique and that Regina alone be given a list of who was behind each one. The final addendum was that one invitation be kept secret and the mask be given to Regina to deliver herself.

She felt elated and anxious at once about her plan and could hardly wait for the end of the day when she would deliver the mask. With a smile on her face Regina reviewed the latest budget for the parks department when a knock on the door brought her head up from the figures on her laptop to the figure of her mother walking into her office. Cora would not allow Regina's secretary to ever announce her, _she_ was the only person who could invade the mayor's privacy that way and it angered Regina that her mother felt that she was entitled to. She knew that deep down Cora would always consider herself the _real_ mayor of Storybrooke even if her daughter sat in the mayor's chair. Regina's mood immediately soured at her mother's unwelcome intrusion.

"To what do I owe this unannounced intrusion mother?" She growled as she closed her laptop, certain that no work would get done until Cora left.

Cora gave her practised smile as she sat down opposite her daughter. "Why my dear, some might get the idea that you are less than pleased to see me." Cora's eyes flashed a warning to Regina that her mother would not tolerate any sass from her daughter right now. "I understand that the ball will be a costume party this year." She said with obvious disdain in her tone.

"It is not a _costume party_." She growled, her jaw clenched like a vice. "It is a _masquerade_ ball, and I am quite sure that it will prove elegant enough for your wealthy friends."

Cora smirked as she raised her nose higher. "Well I should hope so darling, a barrel filled with water so people could bob for apples would make you the laughing stock of Storybrooke." Regina's smile to her mother was blatantly fake and her eyes clearly indicated that she was not amused at all.

"Well mother I think you have met your quota today for belittling me and questioning my competence." Regina began to open her laptop. "Now if that will be all, I really need to-" Cora raised her hand and shook her head effectively cutting her daughter off.

"Now now Regina dear." Cora tutted. "No need to be so defensive. What I say to you, I say from love." Both women locked eyes and though they smiled pleasantly, their eyes told a different story. "The reason for my visit is a very crucial matter." Cora reached into her large Coach purse and retrieved what appeared to be a stack of legal documents that she handed to Regina. The mayor took the papers and scanned them quickly and then raised her eyebrows in confusion to her mother.

"What are these?" She questioned.

Cora placed her hands in her lap and gave Regina an enormous smile, exposing all of the teeth in her mouth. "I am signing over all of my assets to you darling!" Regina's jaw dropped and her mouth hung open in absolute shock.

"You're doing what?!" She was positive she misheard her mother, Cora was not a giving woman at all. The only thing Regina could recall her mother ever giving her was life, and even then Cora acted like it belonged to her.

"Close your mouth dear, you're not a horse." Regina did so as she narrowed her eyes in annoyance and scrutiny. "I am signing over all of my assets to you. Money, property, jewelry, everything."

Regina couldn't see the angle that her mother was playing but she knew that there had to be one. "Why? Are you dying?" Regina couldn't help the smirk that followed the question even if she had tried to, which she had not.

It was Cora's turn to narrow her eyes and scowl. "I assure you I am very healthy, news that comes as quite welcome to you I'm sure."

"Of course mother." Regina's tone was syrupy sweet and dripping in sarcasm.

"This transaction is quite legitimate, I assure you." Cora got back to the business at hand. "The reason is purely a precaution, one can never be too sure about marriage you understand." Cora raised an eyebrow suggestively.

"Is there trouble in paradise?" Regina smiled at the prospect of an impending divorce, she couldn't stand Gold and would enjoy nothing better than having him and his despicable son out of her family. If their marriage really was on the rocks, was her mother trying to hide her estate so she would not have to pay alimony? Regina had always assumed that Gold had more money than Cora, so it confused her why her mother would go through all this trouble unnecessarily.

"As I informed you earlier, I had no idea that Robert had assisted Neal in his theft of that woman's egg." Regina bristled, her mother refused to even say Emma's name. "The knowledge of this has put a strain on our marriage as you can imagine. I'm doing this so that when I am gone you will still be able to live in the style that you are used to. I'm sure you don't want to be involved in a legal dispute with Neal over my estate when the time comes." Cora tittered. "If it comes to that of course. I plan on being around for a long time."

Regina smiled falsely. "Let us hope so."

Cora frowned. "Indeed." She stood and smoothed her clothes. "Have your lawyer look them over and sign them quickly. We would like to get this done as soon as possible dear." Regina nodded and thumbed through the stack of legal forms. "I will leave you to your party planning." Cora wheeled about and walked out of the office.

Regina frowned at the papers and then buzzed her secretary. "Get my lawyer on the phone."

Her stomach was churning from a mixture of anger and anxiety and Emma was starting to regret the bacon double cheeseburger she had just eaten at Ruby's diner. Going into the sheriff's office to see Neal was bittersweet, on one hand it was extremely satisfying to see him behind bars but on the other hand knowing that he was working with the government and could be going free, filled her with anger of the injustice of it all.

Walking through the door she was hit with a wave of nostalgia, reminded of all the times she had come to visit her father at work when he was the sheriff. She had so many great memories of growing up in Storybrooke and it saddened her deeply to see what her hometown had become. The worst indignity was that she was about to see the man who had tried to kill her parents sitting in her father's office.

"Well agent Nolan" Sheriff Jones greeted her as she stepped into the doorway of his office. "To what do I owe the pleasure of a visit from the FBI?" She struggled to keep the revulsion off her face as she looked at the man.

"Relax sheriff, I'm not here in an official capacity." Emma forced a pleasant looking smile. "I'm just here to see the prisoner and have a few laughs at his expense."

Killian grinned wryly. "I can't fault you for wanting to do that." He chuckled and winked at her, causing Emma's skin to crawl. "But that's just between the two of us. He's in his cell, you remember where they are right?"

Emma nodded and grimaced because she couldn't make her facial muscles continue to lie. "I have a very long memory sheriff." Killian nodded somberly, the subtext of her words not lost on him. Without looking back she headed down the hall.

"They should really clean the cells back here." Emma stood in front of the bars and held her nose in the air, sniffing with a frown on her face. Then she looked down and glared at Neal. "It smells like there's a giant sack of shit in here. Oh, hi Neal."

Neal chuckled humorlessly. "Well, well. I was wondering when you were coming to visit me."

"This isn't a social call Neal." Emma crossed her arms in front of her and smirked at him. "I came to see you behind bars, and if I were you I'd start getting used to the view."

Neal shook his head and rose to his feet from the small cot attached to the stone wall. "I don't think so Emma." He walked closer until they were only feet away from each other, the iron bars creating a border between two enemy countries a hair's breadth away from full scale war. "See, I've made a deal and I'm going to walk."

Emma shook her head in a mixture of disgust and astonishment. "By turning on your own father. Just when I thought you were as slimy as a sewer, you sink to a new level of filth."

"I'm thinking of my family Emma. I can't be there for _my_ son if I'm behind bars." He grinned proudly and Emma scrunched her face in confusion.

" _You_ have a kid?" Emma couldn't stop the contemptuous laugh from escaping. "What skank let _you_ knock her up?"

The smile that slowly grew on Neal's face chilled Emma and suddenly she felt nervous although she wasn't sure why. "Come on Emma, have some self respect." Neal seemed full of confidence to her, as if the tables had turned and he was on the outside of the cell looking at her behind the bars. "Don't call yourself a skank."

Her throat tightened and she found it hard to speak, after a moment the words came out in a raspy whisper. "What are you talking about?" She asked the question but was unsure if she wanted the answer.

"Our son Emma. The son we share together. Congratulations you're a mommy." Her jaw dropped and she searched his eyes looking for any sign that he was lying. A feeling of dread crept inside her soul and it felt like a cold shadow had fallen over her.

"You've lost your mind Neal. You're crazy." Her voice cracked even though her face showed the anger that was starting to grow inside her. "We never had sex." Her voice regained its strength and she spoke evenly and with the hardness of iron. "Even though you tried to rape me, you never got the chance. Regina made sure of that."

Neal looked at the ceiling in frustration. "Regina, Regina, Regina." He looked back at her and Emma could see his anger. "Well, you will be happy to know that your high school sweetheart is playing the role of mother to our son until I can get out of here." Emma stepped back from the bars and shook her head slowly in shock. "But soon, you, me, and little Henry will be a family."

The air had been sucked out of the room and Emma couldn't breathe, she had to get out, she needed to find air before she suffocated. Backing away from the cell, and keeping her confused eyes on Neal, she saw the smug expression he wore as he rested his arms on the cell bars. Her hands found the door behind her and searched frantically behind her back for the door knob.

"You should go see him." Neal raised his voice to be sure she heard him. "He's got your eyes." She opened the door and escaped through it, bumping into sheriff Jones as she accelerated down the hall.

"Where's the fire?" Killian called behind her but she didn't hear anything he said. She had to get out and before she knew it her legs had taken her outside and she was breathing heavily outside the sheriff's station.

Emma rested her hands on her knees as she struggled not to hyperventilate. Neal was lying. He had to be, she told herself, there was no way they could share a son together. She straightened up as her breathing slowed until it had almost returned to normal. She needed to make sure. She had to find out if he was telling the truth. And there was only one person who she could go to for answers.

"Regina." She whispered as she fumbled with her keys and opened her car door. Her tires squealed as she pulled away, heading in the direction of the mayor's mansion.

"Regina!" Ruby shouted and covered her mouth, embarrassed that her exclamation startled the sleeping baby Henry in his mother's arms. "I'm so sorry!" Ruby whispered with a sheepish grin. Regina just rolled her eyes as she bounced Henry in her lap as the two friends sat together on the couch in Regina's front room. "But you just hit me with a sledgehammer with that news! How the hell is Henry Emma's son?!"

"I know, I know." Regina sighed as she shook her head slowly from side to side. "I can barely comprehend it myself." Her shoulders slumped tiredly and Henry calmed down, making cooing sounds that made his mother smile. "Somehow Neal, Gold, and Whale stole one of Emma's eggs the night of the party."

Ruby's eyes went wide and then she scowled in anger. "Those fuckers! I can't believe they would violate her like that!" Ruby rose quickly to her feet. "I'll kill 'em!" Regina grabbed Ruby's arm and pulled her back down next to her.

"You're not killing anyone." Regina's lips curled slightly at her friend's reaction. She appreciated Ruby's willingness to fight for her, but she wasn't about to let Ruby get herself in trouble. "We both know your bark is worse than your bite."

Ruby smirked at her friend and chuckled. "I can bite pretty good!" Her expression quickly turned serious again. "But I don't get it, if they did this all those years ago, how is Henry still a baby?" She questioned.

Regina shrugged her shoulders. "I asked Cora the same thing. The answer she gave was vague, for some reason Neal and Gold waited until now to implant the embryo into a surrogate. Why they waited so long I have no idea, but the three of them don't do anything without a plan." Regina's voice was serious and Ruby caught the edge in it when she spoke of the three conspirators. "What I can surmise from having been raised by Cora is that she gave Henry to me to drive a wedge between Emma and I."

Ruby's face twisted in confusion. "I don't understand. How would that happen? You and Emma love each other, if anything, sharing Henry would bring the two of you closer together."

Regina nodded in agreement. "Yes, but Cora thinks that everyone is like her. It's her arrogance that makes her believe that I would be afraid that Emma would take Henry from me." Ruby saw sadness in Regina's dark brown eyes for a moment before the brunette mayor blinked it away. "Cora doesn't know me, she thinks I would be so petty as to want to keep Emma away from her own son. That is something I would _never_ do."

Ruby smiled and placed a comforting hand on her friend's knee. "I know. You have a heart as big as the moon and Cora is as heartless as they come." Regina smiled warmly at her friend, she was happy that someone could see just how different she was than what her mother had raised her to be. "But I still don't get why now? Why wait to drive you two further apart, that could have been done years ago?"

Regina's lips twisted as she tried to work the problem in her head, she had attempted to figure it out over and over since hearing the news from her mother but had so far been unable to unravel the mystery. "I don't know Ruby. All I can think of is that this is all some kind of distraction."

"Distraction?"

"Mother is a master chess player, she is always planning her next move. I can only assume that something much larger is happening and she wants both Emma and I out of the way."

Ruby exhaled and held up her hands in surrender. "I swear Regina, your mother is a piece of work. Only Cora could come up with this Days of Our Lives type shit!" Regina laughed along with Ruby. "So what are you going to do? I mean after you talk to Emma?"

Regina's face turned serious just then. "I'm not telling her." Ruby's jaw dropped. "And you can't say anything to her either Ruby."

The diner owner was shocked and confused. "What? How could you do that to Emma? She has a right to know that Henry is her son Regina!" Regina held up her hand to stop her friend.

"You're right Ruby, I know she does." Regina sighed and her whole body seemed to deflate like a balloon. "And in a perfect world I would be running into Emma's arms right now."

Ruby couldn't believe her ears, for a moment she questioned if she had been wrong about what kind of person Regina was. Keeping a mother and son apart was something that Cora would do, she had thought that Regina would never follow her mother's example on anything and certainly not something like this. "Then why don't you?"

"Because Ruby, they are planning something. Like I said before, Cora is always one move ahead, and if she sees I'm not going along with her plans I know there will be serious consequences for Emma and quite possibly Henry as well." She hugged Henry to her chest. "And I will not let either one of them get hurt."

Ruby felt better knowing that Regina was only looking out for Emma and Henry, but she still felt guilty about the situation. "So how are you going to play this?"

"I'm going to act like I am afraid of Emma taking Henry." She shook her head in disbelief of her own future actions. "I'm going to pretend to hate her and keep her away from her own son." It made her ill to even say it out loud and hate her mother all the more for forcing her to do it.

"Wow." Ruby looked down at the floor and shook her head. "And you need me to go along with this too huh?"

Regina placed a hand on Ruby's forearm, pleading to her with her eyes. "You must Ruby! No one can know that I'm acting! They have to believe that I'm some heartless jealous bitch like my mother. That's the only way that Cora will let down her guard enough so that I can find out what is really going on here."

"I get it Regina." Ruby stared at the wall and tried to push the thoughts of how Emma was going to react to Regina's ruse. "It sucks that we can't let Emma in on the plan."

Regina nodded. "I know. But we both know what a terrible actor Emma is." Regina joked and got an honest laugh out of her friend. "But I think I have a way that will allow me to let her in on the plan, but it has to be done secretly. No one can see the two of us together."

"How are you going to pull that off?"

"Mother isn't the only one who knows how to play games." Regina gave her a sly wink. Both heads turned to the front window at the sound of a car's engine stopping in the driveway. They looked at each other in confusion before Ruby got up and looked through the curtains. She whipped her head back around with wide eyes.

"It's Emma!" Ruby whispered as if the blonde could hear her from outside. Regina rose to her feet and headed for the stairs. Ruby looked at her in confusion.

"What are you doing?" She called after the woman who was moving quickly up the stairs

with a baby in her arms.

"I can't see her right now Ruby! I'm not ready!" Regina called over her shoulder.

"Right now if I saw her eyes as I told her to leave I would break down and tell her

everything! You have to get rid of her!" Regina called from the top of the landing.

Ruby shook her head. "I don't know if I can do this Regina!"

Regina's sad eyes nearly broke Ruby's heart. "Please Ruby, you have to! If Cora

finds out she's going to try and hurt Emma! I know she will! Please you have to do

this for me!" She glanced at Henry and then to Ruby. "For all of us."

Ruby's shoulders slumped. "Okay. I'll do it Regina." Tears fell from Regina's

watery eyes as she nodded her thanks before disappearing into a room upstairs. "I'm so

sorry for doing this to you Emma." She whispered to herself while leaning against the

front door. "I hope you can forgive me."

The doorbell rang and Ruby took a deep breath before she opened the door. The look on Emma's face flashed surprise first and then confusion when she saw Ruby in the doorway of Regina's home. "Ruby? What are you doing here?"

Ruby closed her eyes and willed herself to play the role Regina needed her to. "I'm here for Regina." She said evenly. Emma's head tilted to the side in confusion and she narrowed her eyes at her best friend.

"Wait? Do you know?" Emma's voice dropped to a whisper. "About Henry? That I'm his mother?"

Ruby prayed that Regina was right and that she knew what she was doing. "Yes. And I think you should go." Ruby saw Emma recoil like she had just been slapped and it made her stomach clench. She was hurting her best friend and she damned Cora, Gold, and Neal to Hell for making her do this.

"What?" Emma was stunned and found it difficult to find her words. "Ruby, what are you saying? He's my son."

"No. Henry is Regina's son." Ruby fought to keep her lips from trembling but her eyes were betraying her as they filled with tears. "She wants you to leave Emma."

"Ruby? What are you-" Emma's voice shook and one tear rolled down her cheek and her eyebrows crinkled.

"Emma. Just go." Ruby was pleading now and no longer acting, she just wanted her friend to run away and be spared from any more hurt.

Regina was listening through the crack in the door upstairs and her heart was breaking for Emma. Once again she was hurting Emma for her own good, at least that's what she kept telling herself. It seemed that all she ever did was hurt Emma and convince herself that it was _for her own good._ She wanted to scream at fate for doing this to them over and over again. It was as if they were cursed.

She thought she saw a flash come through the window from outside and moved to the window passing Henry sleeping in his cradle. Carefully she pulled the curtain back a little and peered out onto the dark street below. A few houses down she spotted a black sedan parked and there was someone sitting in the driver's seat. Focusing on the person behind the wheel she recognized that it was Killian Jones.

"Fuck." She saw another flash and realized that he was holding a cell phone. He was taking pictures. Her mother _was_ watching her, she was right. She knew what she had to do just then and it sickened her. She squared her shoulders and took deep breath, hoping that she could willingly devastate the woman she loved.

Emma was scrambling, trying to get a grip on her sanity, a finger hold so she doesn't tumble into the dark abyss of the unreal world she found herself trapped in. Her best friend in the world was keeping her away from her son and the love of her life didn't want to see her. This had to be some kind of nightmare, she told herself while her green speckled eyes fought back tears of confusion. Just when she was about to threaten Ruby with physical violence she caught a glimpse of movement on the stairs.

She saw Regina descending slowly down the stairs, her posture straight as an arrow and her head held high. Emma was breathless as she was struck by her beauty, and not for the first time. Regina was wearing black business slacks and a tight red silk blouse with the top the three buttons ignored to show the glorious cleavage of her breasts. Her black hair was cut short and curled at the end, highlighting Regina's sharp and gorgeous jawline and high cheekbones. Her smoky dark chocolate eyes seemed to have a coldness about them that Emma didn't recognize and had never seen before.

"Regina." Emma's voice was a whisper as Regina stopped near the door, causing Ruby to step back.

"Miss Nolan." Her voice was cold and pierced Emma's heart like a knife, that sultry voice that had felt like home before was now a barely contained angry warning. "You are not welcome here. Please leave my property."

This had to be a joke, some kind of prank that Ruby and Regina were playing on her. She chuckled nervously hoping that they the would end this hurtful play and stop torturing her. "Regina, what are you doing?" Her voice was cracking and Emma was through trying to hold her emotions back, the tears now flowed freely down her cheeks. "I want to see Henry. I want to see my son."

There was nothing in Regina's eyes that showed she even registered Emma's plea, they stayed cold and hard, looking through her as if Emma wasn't even there. "Henry is not your son." Danger and fury laced Regina's tone as her lips thinned and she took a step forward making Emma backpedal on the concrete step. "He's mine." The way she said it felt like a kick to her stomach and Emma felt dizzy. "And you are never getting anywhere near him."

"Regina, please! Don't say that!" Emma felt her world coming apart and the sobs that came out shook her like the powerful tremors of an earthquake."Why are you doing this?"

"Because he's mine!" Her voice was nearing a shout and Emma was shaking her head from side to side in disbelief. "Now go! I don't want you here!" Emma moved backwards and felt like an invisible force was pushing her down the walkway.

"Regina, don't do this. Please." She was empty, her voice was barely audible.

"I don't want you here!" Regina pointed forcefully, her muscles tight and a vein raised on her forehead. "Go away Emma! Go!"

She couldn't take it anymore, she spun around and ran. Crying loudly, she stumbled into her car and cranked the engine. Her tires squealed, leaving smoke and the smell of burning rubber in the air as her bug rocketed down the road and out of sight.

Regina slammed the door shut and the scene was over. She crumbled and slid down the door crying hysterically. Ruby was frozen in place, she hadn't moved a muscle as she watched the terrible scene play out in front of her. She looked down at Regina who was vibrating with sobs, she had never seen someone come apart like that and it shocked and worried her. She fell to her knees and crawled over to the broken woman cradling her tightly in her arms.

"She hates me now!" Regina screamed in anguish. "She will hate me forever!" Ruby held her tightly and tried to comfort her. There was nothing she could say, no words could make the hurt go away and Ruby knew that somewhere her best friend was going through the same thing.

But right now Emma was going through it alone.


	19. Chapter 19

Her little yellow Volkswagen bug pulled to a stop right in front of the weathered Welcome to Storybrooke sign that stood just before the town line. She had almost kept going. Emma just wanted to drive and then keep driving and then drive some more. She didn't want to stop until she got to California. Then she would hop on a plane and fly all the way to Australia. After that she would walk out into the Outback desert and scream at the top of her lungs until she passed out.

Instead she killed the engine and pounded on the steering wheel until her palms hurt, all the while wailing her heartbreak inside the cabin. After all the tears had fallen and she had screamed herself hoarse, she leaned her head back on the headrest and closed her puffy, red eyes. No, she wouldn't run. She _couldn't_ run, like an idiot she had torn out of town and left all her stuff at Ruby's place. No, she had to go back, she still needed to watch Neal and help take down Gold.

But even though she had reasons and responsibilities to stay, she still wanted to escape. Escape from the pain. Regina hated her. Just thinking it made her eyes tingle even though she had figured that she had cried her tear ducts dry. Having the woman she adored more than anything in the world hate her was more than she could bear.

She got out of her car and sat down on the hood of her car. Staring up at the night sky and seeing the far away stars she had never felt so alone. Then she remembered that she wasn't alone, she had her parents. Emma reached into her red jacket and pulled out her cell phone, went through her contacts and touched the one that said _Mom._ Her mother's voice greeted her on the first ring. "Hi sweetie!" Her mother's voice was warm and perky and she could see the big smile on Mary Margaret's face in her mind's eye.

Emma's voice shook with emotion and she could barely make herself understandable. "Regina hates me!" She sobbed into her phone.

"What? Emma what's wrong? I can't understand you." Mary Margaret's voice was suddenly filled with concern. Emma cried some more into the phone. "Hold on Emma, your father's here. I'm going to put you on speaker." There was a slight tinge of panic in her mother's voice.

"Emma? Honey? What's wrong?" Her father's voice calmed her, it felt like a thick, comfy blanket and she was able to close her eyes and breathe.

"Regina hates me." Her voice cracked but she was able to make herself clear now.

"Oh honey that's not true." Mary Margaret's voice was soft.

"Emma, what happened? Why do you think Regina hates you?" David sounded confused.

"Because she thinks I'm going to take Henry!"

"Who's Henry?" Mary Margaret was not following what Emma was trying to say.

"My son!"

"Your what?!" Mary Margaret and David said in unison.

"My son! Henry! Regina thinks I'm going to take him from her!" Emma couldn't understand why they didn't get it.

"Emma, honey, calm down." David was speaking slowly to her now. "Take a deep breath."

"But Dad I just-" Emma started talking but David cut her off.

"Emma. Breathe." She took a deep breath and it seemed to help. She actually felt a little calmer. "Now start over from the beginning. But slowly, okay?"

"Okay." Emma took another deep breath and collected herself. Speaking slower helped to calm her, so she told her parents the whole sordid and crazy story from the beginning. Neal, the embryo, Henry, everything. She started to explain to them how Regina had adopted Henry and when she came to the part of the story where Regina turned her away, her voice wavered a little. After she finished her parents were quiet for a long time, so long that Emma thought the call had dropped.

"Emma?" Mary Margaret's voice came over the phone and it was filled with compassion. "Do you really believe in your heart that Regina could hate you?" Emma thought long and hard about the question. She thought about the Regina Mills she knew. The Regina that she loved. That woman was warm, compassionate, kind and Regina loved so much and so hard and so deeply, and she had longed to be loved.

Her voice was soft. "No."

"Of course she couldn't." David reassured her. "Now honey, I want you to think this through. Cora, Gold, Neal. The investigation. It stands to reason that there might be more to this than meets the eye."

"Sweetie, remember when you two were back in school?" Mary Margaret asked her.

Emma sighed. "Of course mom."

"I seem to remember that Regina had a particular talent." Emma heard the little chuckle in her mother's voice.

"Yeah, Mom. I get it." For the first time in what felt like a long time to her, Emma was able to smile. "She's a great actress. Okay, she was probably acting." Emma blew out a long breath and looked back up at the stars again. They didn't seem quite as far away as they had before. "But why would she do that to me?"

Emma heard her father sigh on the other end of the line. "Emma, we both know that Storybrooke isn't the same place that you grew up in. The town is rotten, and if I had to make a guess then I would say that Regina had a good reason for doing what she did."

She nodded then, forgetting that they couldn't see her. "I guess you're right Dad."

David laughed. " _You_ _guess_? I'm always right! Just ask your mother." Emma heard her mother laugh and the sound made her miss them both. Her parents had always been there for her and she was glad to have them back.

"Thanks guys. I feel a lot better now." She did feel like a cloud had been lifted and she could think clearly again. Of course Regina didn't hate her, she was just being emotional when she should have been thinking analytically. "How are you doing Dad?"

"Getting stronger everyday thanks to your mother."

"Don't listen to him sweetie. He's doing it all himself!" She heard the smile in Mary Margaret's voice.

"Not true! It's your meatloaf that has replenished me! I'm strong like bull!" Emma laughed at her father and thanked the heavens that he was back and doing well. "And her kisses too!" Emma heard a telltale lip smack and face palmed.

"Okay! I'm going to hang up now! I don't want to listen to my parents making out over the phone!" She joked.

"Well hang up then! I'm about to give your father some kissing that he won't forget!"

"Gross Mom!" Emma's face scrunched up as she struggled to get the image out of her head. "I'll talk to you later."

"Call us when you find out about Regina and Henry!" Mary Margaret interjected quickly.

"Bye honey! We love you!" David said.

"Love you guys! Bye!" Emma hung up the phone and took a deep breath before she slid off the hood. She put a determined look on her face and got back in her car, after turning on the engine her phone notified her of a new text. She looked at the screen and saw it was from Ruby.

 **Rubes: Emma! I'm so sorry! Come back to my place and I will explain everything!**

Emma turned her car around and sped off toward Ruby's place.

Killian Jones pulled up behind the sheriff's station in the black sedan. He took out his cell phone and pulled up Cora Mills-Gold in his contacts. The line rang and he waited.

It wasn't long before Cora picked up. "Jones." His name was the only curt greeting he would get from her. "Did she show up to my daughter's house?"

"Indeed she did luv." He smirked as he exited the vehicle without saying more.

"Well? What happened?" Cora sounded agitated and Killian enjoyed his small victory against the woman.

"Your daughter didn't exactly throw her out." He started slowly and listened to Cora grumble.

"What do you mean?" She spat in growing frustration.

"She didn't throw her out because she never let her _in_ the house luv." He chuckled at his own cleverness. "The mayor read Miss Emma the riot act right on her front doorstep. You should have seen it, she had the poor girl in tears. I've got pictures and video if you like."

He could hear her amusement in her words just then. "No that won't be necessary. This is good. My daughter is nothing if not predictable. And if I know that blonde girl, she is on her way out of town with her tail tucked between her legs."

Killian reached the backdoor of the station but remained on the outside. "Then that's one problem down love. With Emma gone we don't have to worry about her sticking her nose in our business."

"Yes. But that still leaves us with one problem." Cora's tone was grave.

"Right. What are we going to do about that one?" Killian knew exactly what problem Cora was referring to, and that problem sat in a cell on the other side of the door.

"Robert is still planning on sending him off." She spoke in a way that told Killian just how much she approved of her husband's plan. " _I_ , on the other hand think that something like that will draw entirely too much attention here. There will be an investigation for sure if we let him escape."

Killian had no love for Gold's son and agreed with Cora that her husband's plan was foolhardy and overly sentimental. Neal Gold had become a liability and was practically worthless in his opinion. "I concur luv. So what do we do?"

He could hear the woman grinning as she spoke. "I believe that poor Neal is so distraught that he has lost custody of his only child and realizes he is going to prison. I'm afraid that he feels he has nothing left to live for."

Killian smiled. "Well, looks like I'll have to get the bed sheets in the cell dry cleaned tomorrow then. Seeing as how someone hung himself with them tonight."

"Good boy." Cora said to him and he didn't appreciate her condescension, but he let it slide. He still had his own game that he was playing. "I'll leave you to it then." Without another word she ended the call. He put his phone in his pocket and unlocked the station door, but as he stepped inside he heard voices. Carefully he closed the door behind him and crept further inside. He could hear Neal speaking with another man whom he knew and didn't approve of being inside the station.

"Just how am I supposed to wear this microphone under my shirt? What if I get searched?" He heard Neal say.

"Who is going to search you Neal?" The other voice sounded annoyed. "Your father is the one breaking you out remember? He's not going to frisk his own son!"

"Oh yeah. Right." Killian couldn't believe how a man as clever as Robert Gold had sired such a moron. "What do you need me to do?"

"Get him talking about his operation. I need names of the other people involved here in town. The prosecutors, the judges, the cops, his wife, everyone."

"I want you to get that Killian asshole too. I hate that fucker!"

"Don't worry, we have enough on him to put him away for a long time." The other man said.

"And I get immunity right? I give you my father and Killian and the whole lot and you cut me loose right?" Neal was saying and Killian's anger toward him grew even more. _That sniveling little worm!_ _I am so going to enjoy this!_

"Of course, as our star witness you get immunity. You have no connections with the organization so you're golden." Killian chose that moment to clear his throat, startling the other two men.

"My, my Agent Booth, you just hand out immunity like candy don't you?" August and Neal stood frozen in place. As his hand slowly crept up his side to his service weapon, Killian gave them both his most charming smile. The juxtaposition between his seemingly pleasant smile and the murderous fire in his eyes was striking and off putting for the two unarmed men.

Special Agent August Booth of New York City was gravely aware of the imminent danger he was in. Raising his hands slowly in surrender, August summoned his negotiation training and experience. "Killian, let's talk about this. Calmly."

Smoothly, as if he was simply going for his wallet to pay his tab at The Rabbit Hole, Killian slid his gun out of his holster and calmly aimed it at them. "Sure Agent Booth, let's discuss this problem about immunity in exchange for testimony." Killian crept casually closer, all the while grinning from ear to ear. He was enjoying watching Neal press himself against his cell wall, as if by doing so he could hide from him. "It seems to me that if you have offered Neal here the same deal you offered me, then we have a bit of a quandry. You were saying to him that because he had no connection to his father's organization that he was, how did you put it? ' _Golden?'_ " His eyes narrowed and his smile turned into a sneer. "What about me then, Agent Booth? I daresay as Gold's right hand man, I'm clearly attached to his organization, does that mean I'm not ' _golden'_?"

"Killian, put the gun away and we can discuss this. The offer still stands for you, nothing has changed." August was speaking very slowly but Killian could see that the man was looking for a way to disarm him. Killian stopped walking so as to keep himself at least two steps from August.

"I don't think we have anymore to discuss Agent Booth. From my point of view it feels like you were just using me to get placed inside the cannery for your 'job', and the deal was always for Neal and Neal alone. Am I correct in my assumption?"

August had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. Killian Jones was a killer and August was not armed. He tried a different approach. "Killian, if you do this, then there is no turning back. Killing an FBI agent will get you life, if you're lucky." His voice was stern and sure and he tensed himself, ready to make his move.

Killian just laughed. "Well, let me tell you something Agent Booth, I've always been lucky." With just a squeeze of the trigger the deadly projectile exploded from the gun barrel rocketing into August's chest at supersonic speed. FBI agent Booth was dead before his body hit the floor.

"Oh my God! Oh my God!" Neal was screaming frantically and couldn't control the tremors of terror that were shaking his limbs. "You shot him! You killed him!"

"Yes I did mate, quite perceptive. Who says that you're a moron?" Killian coldly stepped over August's corpse toward the jail cell. He gave Neal a sinister smirk and the cowering prisoner gulped audibly. "Now that I've done _this-"_ He pointed his gun barrel at the dead man. "I have to abide by the first rule of murder." He leveled the gun at Neal. "No witnesses."

Neal was nearly hyperventilating. "You can't kill me! My father-" Killian cut him off by pulling the hammer back on his gun.

"-Will be a problem. Yes I know. Don't worry, it's time I deal with him too." Killian enjoyed seeing Neal coming apart, reinforcing his assumption that the man was a worthless excuse for a man.

"Please! Don't kill me!" Neal clasped his hands together and fell to his knees as tears rolled down his face. "Don't do this! I'll do anything! Please! I'm begging you!"

Killian's face twisted in disgust at the pathetic, blubbering mess that Neal had become. "This is how you want to meet your maker? On your knees?" Killian spat. "You disgust me you coward." Neal got in one more panicked squeal that was cut short by the bullet piercing his brain. The loud bang of the gunshot echoed and then faded until there was only silence inside the sheriff's station.

When Ruby opened the door to her apartment she was prepared for the 'angry Emma face' and she was not the least bit surprised to see the blonde's lips pressed into a thin line curving down and her brows lowered over her green eyes that were blazing with fury.

"Spill it Ruby." Emma's harsh voice gave notice that she wanted answers now.

"Okay Emma, I can explain everything." Ruby pulled Emma into her place and guided her to the couch. She sat Emma down and the blonde plopped onto the cushions and folded her arms over her chest, all the while throwing daggers at her best friend with her eyes. "I know you're mad at me."

Emma jumped at her, making Ruby lean back a few inches on the couch. " _Mad?_ I'm not mad Ruby. I'm furious! How could you do that to me?! You threw me out! You wouldn't even let me see my son! What the fuck Ruby? You're supposed to be my best friend!" Emma barked out the words and each one felt like a punch to the stomach for Ruby. Ruby deflated in front of Emma and her shoulders sagged.

"You're right Emma. You're right." Emma's brow relaxed a tiny bit as she saw how contrite her friend was being. "What we did, what I did to you was not fair. If I were you I'd hate me too." Emma sighed at Ruby's words and uncrossed her arms.

"I don't _hate_ you Ruby. I'm pissed at you. But I don't hate you." Emma muttered gruffly. Ruby seemed to inflate a little but Emma wasn't done talking yet. "But you better have a damn good reason for what you did to me." She pointed her finger angrily at Ruby like it was a knife.

"I can do that." Ruby smiled and Emma raised one of her angry brows in confusion.

"You can?" Ruby nodded and picked up what appeared to be a journal from her coffee table in front of them. In her rage Emma had not noticed the journal or the big box it rested on.

"Yes. With this." She handed Emma the journal and her eyes widened as she opened it and saw a letter to her on the first page. Her eyes shot up to Ruby's, showing her shock. "Is this Regina's?" Ruby nodded.

"She wanted you to have it." Ruby gave her a watery smile, her eyes glassy. "And this too." She pointed at the box. Emma placed the journal in her lap and leaned toward the box, lifting the lid.

"What is this?" She pulled out a mask and a black cloak. "A costume?"

Ruby nodded again. "Yes, for the Mayoral Ball."

"The Mayoral Ball?" Emma smirked. "I'm wearing this to a ball? I'm _going_ to a ball? Why would I ever go to a ball?"

"Because Regina invited you." Ruby smiled warmly.

"She invited me? Why?"

Ruby patted the journal in Emma's lap. "Read the journal." Ruby stood and began to leave the room. "She said to read the last entry first." Emma frowned and looked down at the journal. She put the mask back into the box and then moved her palm softly over the journal, almost reverently. Thinking that Regina had wanted to share her inner thoughts with her made her smile as she opened it to the last entry and began to read.

 _My dearest Emma,_

 _I have just come from watching you drive away from me after I have broken your heart again. Now with tears in my eyes I write these words to you in the hopes that you would understand why I have hurt you once again._

 _Darling, understand that the pain I have inflicted on you is the same, if not worse, that I too am suffering. Your wonderful heart deserves to be adored and protected, cherished and worshiped, and loved deeply. Would that I could have done just that through all those years we have been apart. Instead I have been the sole inflicter of pain and betrayal to yours, and for this crime I have lived in torment for so long. I can never pay for my crimes against you my love, I can never atone for the sins for my cruel acts against you, but my love, I hope that you will allow me to explain my reasons._

 _Emma, you know that I have only ever cared for your safety, even if it means sacrificing my own happiness I have gladly done so just to keep you away from harm. In the past you have tried to tell me that you were willing to brave my mother's wrath, and though you are the bravest person I have ever known I also know the cruelty my mother is capable of. That I have done the right thing I cannot say, but what I can say is that what I have done to you was the only choice that I could come to. Cora is up to something sinister and most likely criminal, I know this but I cannot prove it. I have known this woman my entire life, and other than you, I know her better than I know anyone else. Her manipulation of Henry's birth and adoption are as plain as day to me, she is using this innocent child to drive a wedge between us. She assumes that I am just like her and that I would be as petty and inhuman as she, thinking that I would feel such greed for Henry's love that I would keep him away from you. She has never been more wrong in her wretched and wasted life._

 _Henry. I am astonished how quickly this wonderful child has filled my heart with love. Only you, Emma, have ever made me love and feel loved as he has. And let me make this absolutely clear to you my dear, Henry is your son, he is yours in every way possible, just as I am yours. He has your eyes my love, I can see the innocence and innate goodness in his beautiful eyes just as I can in yours. I have no illusions about who his true mother is my dear, I may have adopted him but Henry is yours. I only pray that when and if we can ever be together that you allow me to join you in loving and raising him. If that day ever comes beloved, I will know the kind of happiness unlike any I have ever known before._

 _As to why I have treated you so harshly and cruelly tonight, it is because we were being watched. When you arrived I had Ruby greet you at the door because I knew that if I saw you I would fall into your arms and never let you go. And that would have been a tragic mistake, Cora would have found out and done something unthinkable to you, I am certain of it. So I knew that I would have to keep myself and Henry from you for the time being to keep you both safe. I am convinced that if you had seen Henry tonight you would have not allowed yourself to be separated from him and the consequences would have been disastrous for us all. But while I was upstairs, hiding from you like the coward I am, I saw that despicable sheriff Jones in his car watching the house. He was filming for Cora and I knew then that to keep up the ruse I would have to play the hardest role of my life, being angry at you and sending you away. It hurt me to the core of my soul to treat you that way, but I pray that soon I will be able to stop this painful charade._

 _I am going to share with you my plan at the ball my dear. I have planned the event so that no one will be able to know that we are meeting, not Gold, not Jones, and certainly not Cora. Even though I will be hiding behind a mask, I will finally be able to be with you in public. It is both ironic and tragic that I can only be myself with you when I am masquerading as someone else._

 _Finally I have given this journal to Ruby so that she can give it to you. My dear if you can not forgive me for what I have done to you tonight I beg you to forgive Ruby. She was only doing what I demanded she do, so please do not blame her, the blame must fall solely on me. I want you to read this journal so you can see that I love you and have loved you for my entire life, and I hope that one day fate will allow us to be together for good._

 _With all my love forever,_

 _Regina_

That night Emma poured over the journal for hours, and by the time the sun rose in the early morning sky, with eyes full of happy tears, she understood how much Regina Mills loved her. And how much _she_ loved her.


	20. Chapter 20

"You did WHAT?!" Cora's voice echoed in Killian Jones' ear through the phone, he had braced himself for the shout, but the shrill piercing blast still managed to set his eye drum ringing.

Killian sighed, trying to explain his actions to Cora was going to be difficult. "I had to get rid of him last night, I had no other choice. He was talking to the FBI agent in the bloody station!"

Cora went quiet for a moment, things were accelerating far too rapidly. "The FBI was there?" He heard the trepidation in her voice and was taken aback, normally Cora Mills-Gold was unflappable, her cold calmness had never wavered before and Killian imagined that she was finally beginning to realize how dire the situation was that they now faced.

"Yes, agent Booth was there brazenly offering Neal immunity. I couldn't let him get away with playing me like that." Killian realized his error right away, he had just slipped and hinted to the former mayor that he too had made a deal with the FBI. There was an even longer pause on the line and Killian imagined the calculating woman was already contemplating her next move after this new bit of information.

"I see." She only said the two words but Killian knew the deeper meaning behind those four letters. Their partnership was now over. Killian and Cora would now be working separately, each for their own survival. "You had no choice I suppose. But your actions have pushed our hand. We must move ahead with our plans tonight."

 _Our plans?_ Killian smirked, knowing that what she really meant was _her_ plan. "The delivery of the shipment is scheduled to be here around eleven tonight, that's zero hour love. If we are still flailing about by then we're both as good as dead."

"Yes, Robert had planned on using the ship to get his son out of the country. It will be very awkward when Neal doesn't show up. Also the FBI will want to know where their agent is today so we can plan on them flooding the whole town to look for him." Cora wasn't telling him what he didn't already know, she had truly cut him off then, he was no longer privy to her inner thoughts.

"Thankfully Gold will be busy getting everything ready for the shipment and won't find out about his son until tonight." Killian offered.

"We have to move during the ball, that will be our best chance." Cora mused. "The entire town will be occupied with my daughter's costume party." He heard the contempt in her voice. "There will never be a better time."

"I agree love." He sighed, he had a lot to get down before eleven tonight if he was going to survive to see tomorrow. "We better get to work then."

"Of course. Good luck sheriff." Killian knew the subtext behind her well wishes. She was saying 'Fuck off Jones, you're on your own and if I have to step on you to save my own arse I will.'

"The same to you Cora." He grinned, knowing that she recognized his true meaning as well.

Her mother had given the same long, dull speech ever since the Mayoral Ball fell under her purview. Cora had felt that it helped add to the elegance and significance of the ball if the mayor gave a proclamation of sorts to the invited dignitaries. It had always been laced with subtle compliments to herself, mentioning how it was the mayor's duty to remind the upper class of Storybrooke of their importance and influence, and of course Cora was the most important and influential person in town. A lot of the speech consisted of generalizations about the wonderful town, lightly touching on the history of Storybrooke and hopeful words for the future. It made her ill. But as much as it pained her to do so, she continued the tradition during her term as mayor, because the people of Storybrooke prized tradition almost as much as they prized keeping the status quo. Although she felt she was a talented actress and had no problem memorizing lines, for some reason she could never seem to recall the words of Cora's speech. Perhaps it was a subconscious mental block that kept her from knowing the speech by heart, a way for her brain to rebel against her mother. Thanks to Cora's vanity and pompousness she didn't need to worry about attempting to muddle through the long speech on her own. Her mother had deemed it necessary to transcribe her words onto an ornate scroll. It was laughable and the very epitome of why Regina detested the whole farce in the first place.

Thanks to the chaotic events that surrounded her presently, Regina had forgotten the ridiculous thing until hours before the event. With frustration and annoyance, Regina entered her mother's mansion, intent on retrieving the scroll and then beating a hasty exit before she laid eyes on Cora. But as she approached Cora's office where the scroll was displayed prominently in a position of honor, she heard raised voices down the hall near Gold's private office. Two female voices were in a very heated conversation and Regina recognized one of the raised voices as her mother's. Although her original plan was to escape the mansion unnoticed, her curiosity got the better of her and she found herself heading toward her step father's office.

As she drew closer, the hostile words became clear.

"What do you think you're doing on Robert's computer!" That was Cora.

"Ma'am I advise you to step back and allow me to continue my work." That was the voice of a woman she did not recognize, the voice had an accent that Regina categorized as English however she wasn't adept to identify from where exactly in the United Kingdom it came from.

"Your _work_ is to fetch my husband's tea! Not go through his private files!" Regina slowly turned the knob of the door and cracked it open slightly. Cora was standing next to a much younger woman and attempting to grab what Regina assumed was Gold's laptop from his desk. She was unable to do so because she was being blocked by the much younger and stronger woman who was holding her back like a football lineman protecting the quarterback.

"I'm telling you again to stand back. This is evidence now and you are interfering with a criminal investigation." _Criminal investigation?_ Now Regina's interest was piqued and she entered the room fully and no longer worried about hiding herself. Both the woman and Cora looked over to Regina with surprise and momentarily stopped their struggling because of the interruption.

"What's the meaning of all this?" Regina said with authority although it was interest and not indignation that drove her inquiry.

Cora was the first to respond. "This thief is attempting to steal Robert's things!" Regina noticed the eye roll of the younger woman as she continued to easily hold Cora at bay.

"My name is Belle French, Mayor Mills." Regina noticed the strength of will in the woman's eyes and voice. Without even knowing the woman she could sense that she was someone she could trust. "I'm working undercover for Interpol with the cooperation of the FBI. Robert Gold is being investigated for murder, drug trafficking, fraud, and money laundering."

Regina's hand rose to her chest unknowingly as she inhaled sharply. She had her suspicions about Gold's _businesses_ before, now hearing his crimes listed out loud however, she was taken aback and had to take a moment to gather herself. Robert Gold was a drug dealer and murderer! He had been conducting his business in Storybrooke right under her nose. _How stupid had she been?_

Deep down she knew the reason why his shady dealings had gone unnoticed by her. For years she had been living in a haze, her thoughts haunted by Emma and the life that they could have lived together had she not been such a coward. A herd of wild elephants could have taken over the town hall during that period and she would not have noticed. Now, with Henry's adoption and Emma's return, a fog had lifted from her perceptions and things that had been ignored before came into view with crystal clarity.

She glanced at her mother just then and saw the look on Cora's face. Regina could read the woman like an open book and what she saw then destroyed any remaining feelings she had for her mother. She was surprised to find that buried deep inside her, there was still that little girl that begged for her mother's love and approval. Now the dawning revelation of Cora's complicity had finally banished that little girl from existence forever.

"You knew." It wasn't a question, it wasn't an accusation, nor was it a statement. It was a death sentence. Cora was dead to her now and there would be no resurrection. For her part Cora said nothing. She simply raised herself up to her practiced posture and lifted her chin high. But Regina could see the difference in her. Cora's eyes had changed. Her mother had been exposed to her daughter, her moral high ground that she had used to belittle and control her daughter her entire life had been obliterated. Cora was no longer superior to Regina, a shining example of upright womanhood and citizenry, she was nothing more than a common criminal.

The mother-daughter dynamic was gone, and it could never be repaired. Cora's eyes told her as much while they flickered and looked away from her, Regina was free now, she had no power over her any longer.

Belle broke the moment between the two women. "I can't arrest her, I don't have the legal authority in America. I'm going to have to wait for my FBI partner August Booth to arrive." She brought out a pair of handcuffs from behind her back and slapped them onto Cora's wrists.

"I'm counting on you not to alert her husband, son in law, or the sheriff." Regina laughed.

"I wouldn't dream of ruining the surprise Miss French." She smirked at her mother. "I'm so sorry that you won't be able to attend the ball tonight mother." She put on a fake pout. "I shall miss you so." She turned on her heels and left with a genuine smile on her face.

She wouldn't need the scroll at all tonight.

She had a much better speech in mind.

"Captain." It was a one word greeting delivered to the nattily attired captain of the large cargo ship currently docked near the Storybrooke Cannery. Under a single light that shone a spotlight around the two men who stood underneath it, the only ones on the dock, Captain Nemo nodded in greeting to his business associate Robert Gold.

"Mr. Gold." There were no friendly exchanges between them, there would be no small talk, no idle chit chat, these men were business partners and that was that. Both were only concerned with their own wealth and how they could increase it, and if it could be done so by working together then so be it. Conversely they both were well aware that if one could make a nickel more by selling out the other then they wouldn't hesitate at the opportunity. This was about money.

"The voyage was without incident I assume?" Gold asked as he lightly massaged the gold knob on the end of the cane that he leaned on.

"Of course Mr. Gold. Even with a ship as large as this my crew and I were able to easily evade the Coast Guard." Nemo said proudly, he considered himself a master of the high seas as he had been running drugs all over the Atlantic for years and had never once been caught. He could understand Gold's concern regarding this particular voyage, neither one of them had ever tried to make a run with a ship of this size. This voyage marked a new beginning for the both of them, if this shipment proved successful they would continue runs of this size and begin to make money on a scale they had only dreamed of before.

"Very good captain." Gold replied. Nemo's part of the job was finished, now it was Gold's turn to do his part. First he would board the boat and then inspect the cargo, once he was satisfied, the shipment would be unloaded into the cannery warehouses. There the drugs would be loaded onto semi trucks and delivered up and down the east coast of North America.

"Shall we take a look Robert?" Nemo indicated for Gold to follow him up the gangplank. With irritation on his face Gold glanced over his shoulders, Jones and his son were supposed to be there by now. Gold had never boarded Nemo's vessels without Jones before and tonight he was supposed to be delivering Neal so he could travel back with Nemo. He had called Jones thirty minutes before and the call went straight to voicemail. He told himself that perhaps he was held up with getting his son ready, or maybe some actual sheriff business had delayed him. Nevertheless he had to continue with the transaction, this run was far too important to delay it, even for his son.

He nodded with a grim expression. "Of course captain, lead the way." He limped along after Nemo, seething inside at his son and sheriff Jones.

Emma held the large and hefty mask in her hand and grimaced, wondering if Regina had bought them all or just rented them from some _Eyes Wide Shut_ type sex store. Hoping that she wouldn't feel too claustrophobic with it on all night, she set it off to the side and picked up the long black robe. It was lighter than the mask, the material being pretty thin, and she thanked the absent mayor for not making her wear a thick robe like she was some kind of monk. It was hooded and Ruby told her that the hood must be worn before entering the ball so that no one could guess who was under the mask as they entered.

It all seemed so absurd to Emma, but then again everything in their relationship had been absurd. No one would ever believe how two people who loved each other so much would constantly be separated by circumstances. _What am I supposed to wear under this thing?_ She stood up and held it in front of her body. It extended all the way to the ground and covered everything except the very tips and heels of her toes. She guessed that it would be pretty disastrous if everyone kept tripping over robes as they danced. _Although it would also be damn funny to see._ She decided that she would just wear her red leather jacket, a white tank top, a pair of skinny jeans and a pair of knee length brown leather boots with laces down the front. She would also be wearing her service weapon and FBI ID. She was taking no chances tonight.

She rubbed her palms on her jeans as she prepared to slip into the robe. She was nervous at the prospect of seeing Regina. They had so much to talk about, from Henry to Neal to their own relationship. Then there was the main focus of her anxiety, they would be dancing together. Regina had planned the whole masquerade as a way for them to be together _freely_ in public, hiding in plain sight.

Her heart fluttered as she imagined holding the beautiful brunette in her arms again, pressing their bodies close together even through the black robes. They were both six years older now and, Emma hoped, braver than the last time they held each other. That this may be the night that they could at last break the chains that had kept them apart before made her almost light headed with anticipation.

Emma was a federal agent of the United States now. Not some young girl who happened to be the daughter of the sheriff of some small hick town in Maine. She had the force of the whole country behind her now, a small petty woman like Cora could no longer hold any control over her, could no longer threaten her with any harm, and most importantly she could not keep her from loving her daughter anymore.

And she was going to tell Regina that tonight. That they didn't have to be afraid anymore, they could finally be free to be together. So she would endure the slight embarrassment of wearing the silly costume for a few hours because after tonight the two of them wouldn't have to wear masks anymore.

From a dark corner she waited and watched as they entered the makeshift ballroom in the town hall. Most entered as couples, sometimes alone, but each time a person entered she carefully examined each mask. So far the one mask she was waiting to see had not yet arrived. Regina rubbed her hands together nervously. _What if she doesn't come? What if she's still angry with me? What if my journal scared her?_ Regina wanted to pound her head against the wall, how did she ever convince herself that it was a good idea to share her journal with Emma? She probably saw it as the insane ramblings of a deranged stalker, she told herself. In trying to express to her how much she loved and wanted to be with her, she had instead driven her off by coming on too strong.

Then, through watery eyes, she saw the mask she had been waiting anxiously to see. "Emma." She breathed out the name softly to herself. As if she was being pulled by a powerful magnet, she practically skated across the dance floor from her darkened hiding place. Through the dancing couples she glided effortlessly toward her. She saw Emma standing awkwardly at the entrance and nervously rocking back and forth on her heels in that cute _Emma_ way. She smiled to herself, knowing that underneath the mask Emma was chewing her bottom lip and furrowing her eyebrows.

"Agent Nolan? May I have this dance?" Emma started at the voice of the figure that had approached her, although it was slightly muffled, she would recognize that voice in her sleep because it had often haunted her dreams.

"Regina?" Her voice was a whisper, in part due to the clandestine nature of their encounter but also because she felt breathless knowing Regina was there in front of her. Her own hand shook slightly with a nervous energy as she reached out to Regina's offered hand in front of her.

Wordlessly Regina escorted Emma further into the room and onto the dance floor. Emma was amazed at the way Regina seemed to float over the floor while wearing the long black robe, while she seemed to be tripping over her own two feet. _Why did I wear these boots again?_

Regina stopped and turned to Emma, gently pulling one of Emma's hands to rest on her hip and holding the other slightly aloft. Emma's hand felt warm and tingly from the contact on Regina's firm hip. Then on the next beat of the music Regina whisked Emma around the dance floor in an elegant waltz. Regina led and Emma struggled to keep up, often tipping her boot heel and listing to the side. After the twelfth muttered "Sorry." she kept her mouth shut. Regina wasn't speaking and Emma began to lose herself in their dance, gradually getting familiar with the steps. The waltz was being played by a live quartet, and even though Emma couldn't name any piece of classical music that wasn't from a Bugs Bunny cartoon, she found their playing absolutely enchanting.

Soon it seemed to both women that the rest of the world ceased to exist. There was only Emma Swan Nolan and Regina Mills populating the world. They were together and there was no force that could separate them in their little realm. The masks covered every part of the face except the eyes, and both of theirs were locked onto the other's. Emma's green ones looked almost blue in the darkened ballroom while Regina's dark brown appeared like shiny ebony orbs, sparkling and twinkling from the dimmed chandelier above them. Their gaze spoke the feelings they couldn't verbalize aloud on the dance floor. Reflecting the feeling of joy at being reunited again and the lamentation of the time that had been stolen from them.

All too soon the music ended, but as the dancers bowed to their partner and then clapped their hands in appreciation to the musicians, Regina pulled Emma along by the hand toward the corner she had been hiding in. Once they reached the semi private area Regina threw her arms around Emma's neck and pulled her close. Emma quickly wrapped her arms around Regina's waist and lifted her a few inches off the floor.

"Oh Emma, darling, you came!" Regina's wavering voice barely held the happiness inside her that was threatening to burst out of her and flood the ballroom, the town hall, and all of Storybrooke.

Regina could hear the cheeky smugness of the blonde's playful response. "Did you ever think that I wouldn't?"

"I was afraid that you were angry at me, or that I had run you off with that stupid journal."

They pulled apart from the tight embrace but kept their hands in place while they stared into the eyes of the other. "Okay, one, I was never angry at you Regina. Shocked and a little confused, but never angry. I had just been hit with the news that I had a son and that you had adopted him so my emotions were flying all over the place. And two, that journal wasn't stupid." She poured her feelings into the look she gave Regina. "Those pages touched me in a way that I can't even describe Regina. I could _feel_ your love in your words and it brought me to tears because it was the same thing I felt for you all these years."

A tear of joy rolled down Regina's cheek behind her mask. "I never stopped loving you Emma. Not one minute of one day. Never." Emma felt truth of Regina's feelings for her through the heartfelt pledge and it made a lump form in her throat. "Do you remember the day we meet my love?" Emma shook her head. "Of course not, you were too young. But I remember it and I have remembered it all these years like it was only yesterday. You had been building a castle in the sandbox and I knocked it over."

Emma laughed. "I think I do remember that! That was you?"

"Yes, I had watched you playing in the sandbox and you had looked so happy. It made me angry to see you smiling and content without a care in the world because I was so miserable. My mother had taken me to the park for the sole reason to be seen in town as the loving mother she never was. I was just a prop in her little play and she never hid that fact from me even then. There was so much jealousy and anger for what you had at that moment that I felt the need to hurt you, to make you feel in some small way the pain I felt. So I knocked it over and watched with a feeling of satisfaction as you ran off crying to Mary Margaret. And then my mother seized on that opportunity to appear the attentive parent and forced me to apologize. After I did so, mother yanked my arm hard as we left and I knew that when we got home I would get much worse. But then you did something amazing and wonderful that I have always treasured in my heart. You ran after me and hugged me tight and told me that I would be okay. It was that one simple act of kindness that saved me. _You_ saved me. The world that I knew before you was a world of disappointment and bitterness, there was no love. But you, a stranger, hugged me and told me that I would be okay. In that moment I saw that there was another way to live life, I could have become like my mother, twisted and evil, if it wasn't for you. It was then that I fell in love with my savior, you Emma Swan Nolan."

She had listened in silence throughout Regina's confession, unable to speak because of the force of the brunette's words. She was overwhelmed and humbled by what she had just been told, how a small encounter, a reflexive act of a child, had made such an impact on the woman she now loved. Tears sprang from her eyes and she hugged Regina tight, letting her physical action take the place of any verbal response she could come up with.

"I love you Emma." Her arms enclosed tenderly around the other woman and she felt the comfort reciprocated.

"And I love you too Regina." She wanted to kiss her so badly just then and grew furious at the reasons why they couldn't. Regina looked at her eyes and could read in them Emma's frustration just then.

"I know darling. I'm angry too, but right now I'm going to finally do something about it." There was steel in her voice and a strength that convinced Emma that the brunette mean what she had just declared. With a gentle squeeze of her hands that held Emma's, she turned and marched with purpose to the center of the ballroom. Regina stopped and held out her hand and a uniformed attendant walked over to her carrying a silver tray with a scroll on top. Regina carefully removed her mask and placed it on the tray and then picked up the scroll. The attendant then moved back into the shadows.

"Ladies and gentlemen." Regina raised her voice and the musicians stopped playing mid song. "Raise the lights please." At her command light flooded the ballroom, showing the party guests stopping their dancing and mingling to turn their attention to the mayor who stood in the center of the room with a proud, almost regal, smile on her face. "Thank you. Welcome to the annual mayoral ball esteemed members of the elite class of Storybrooke."

Emma looked around and watched the assembled clap and cheer for themselves, she thought it was all very pompous and vain. She focused on Regina and could swear that the woman's eyes were ablaze with a fire that was burning inside her.

"I have in my hand here the speech that my mother and I have delivered to you year after year." She unrolled the scroll in front of her and held it with both hands. "It has been a tradition that just like this ball I am pleased to announce has finally come to an end." She tore the scroll in half and let the pieces fall slowly to her feet. Emma could feel the air being sucked out of the room and under her mask a grin slowly spread on her face. "I am ending this farce of a celebration once and for all. For too long you have lorded over the people of this town, elevating yourselves on the backs of the working class. You have enjoyed the fruits of _their_ labors and feed them the rotten leavings off your silver plates. That ends tonight." Regina began to slowly move through the people and looked on each one of them with contempt as she continued to speak. "I have smelled the foul stench of your greed and arrogance for years, and until now I have held my nose and turned my back. Afraid to call you out. Afraid of my mother and what she would do. But I am not afraid of you or her any longer. Tonight my mother was arrested in her home and her husband is about to be taken into custody as well. It seems that your corruption of this town has not gone unnoticed by the federal government. The FBI is here to clean the filth of my streets for good. Agent Nolan? Would you please come here?"

Emma had been thoroughly enjoying herself through Regina's speech as she watched one person after another remove their mask, revealing one pale and nervous face at a time. When Regina mentioned her name, Emma's head jerked in reaction and her eyes went wide as she sought out Regina's. The mayor met her eyes and she gave her a nod and a smile that beaconned her to come closer. She stepped nervously through the crowd until she stood next to Regina. Then Regina slowly removed Emma's mask and dropped it to the ground with a smile.

"Agent Nolan has suffered under the reign of some of you assembled here. The wealthy, the influential, the powerful. You may remember her father who used to be sheriff, David Nolan? He was sheriff that is until he and his wife were nearly killed here. Emma herself was nearly raped by Neal Gold, but thanks to you Judge Spencer" She threw a deadly stare at the Judge and Emma smirked as he began to shrink under the heat of Regina's gaze. "Neal Gold was able to escape justice because you have been selling yourself from the bench for years." She swiveled to face another man. "And you Doctor Whale." She nearly growled as she bore holes into the man with her eyes. "You violated Emma when you stole her eggs that night. I'm sure the medical board will be revoking your license to practice, the authorities may also want to speak to you." She raised her arms and spun slowly as she pinned each person with a murderous look. "I wish I had the time to list all of your crimes but I'm afraid I don't. Because as of now" She stopped and it looked to Emma as if Regina grew a whole foot as she filled herself with a confident and righteous fury. "Your time has ended." Then she surprised Emma by wrapping her arm around her waist and crashing their lips together. Emma heard a gasp from the crowd before she felt the ecstasy rush through her veins that came from feeling of Regina's soft lips on hers. She closed her eyes and moaned before Regina slowly pulled herself away, but not before giving Emma a wink that made the blonde flush with heat. Regina turned to the assembled again and smiled widely. "Please, enjoy the rest of the ball."

Emma looked with wide eyes as first one person hurried out, then a couple, then four people at once. Soon there was a stampede of people running for the exits. She giggled as she saw the panicked looks on their faces, when she turned to Regina she saw the smiling woman. Now Emma grabbed Regina and kissed her hard amid the commotion. Regina whimpered as Emma broke the kiss quickly.

"I am so proud of you right now Regina." Emma felt like she was falling in love with her all over again. Regina smiled shyly and Emma saw the real Regina again, not the angry and vengeful woman she had just portrayed, the kind and loving woman that she adored. Regina kissed Emma's nose and then gave her a wicked smirk.

"We should get out of here. I have a feeling that the show has only just begun."


	21. Chapter 21

Cora watched as Belle spoke intently into her phone. They hadn't left Robert's office and while Cora sat on a chaise lounge, handcuffed, near one of the bookcases along the walls, Belle was pacing back and forth only occasionally glancing at her captive.

"I've tried calling Agent Booth several times and all I'm getting is his voicemail." She went silent as the person on the other end of the call spoke. "Yes, the other agents have moved into town and are making arrests as we speak, most of the suspects are at the mayor's ball." Another pause and Cora began to grasp how grave her situation had become. "The Coast Guard is in position and have allowed the ship to dock. There orders are to wait until the cargo is being unloaded and then move in." Belle was speaking again. "Yes, the roads out of town have been blocked, Robert Gold is not going anywhere. But I am worried about Agent Booth, he is supposed to be running point here."

Belle had stopped pacing and had turned her back on Cora. _She might have a pretty face and a sexy bottom, but this girl needs to pay more attention._ Cora thought to herself as she inched her way slowly toward the bookcase. This home was designed by Robert and he had many escape routes built for emergencies like this. Quietly she stood and backed herself toward the books, never taking her eyes off Belle's back for an instant. The foreign agent was focused on whoever she was talking to and Cora took her chance. She found a button on one of the shelves and the case quietly slid open allowing her to slip behind it.

"I would go look for him myself but I am here with Gold's wife." Belle turned and saw the chaise lounge was empty and that Gold's wife was gone. "Um, I'll call you back." She ended the call and raced out of the office, looking up and down the hall frantically. "Shit."

It looked and felt a lot like Christmas to Emma, the flashing red and blue lights of all the Bureau cars surrounding the Town Hall mixed with the elation she felt inside made her feel like a kid again. She and Regina stood, hand in hand, near the entryway of the Town Hall watching the FBI agents arrest the ball attendees as they ran from the exits. Emma and Regina laughed aloud as they watched certain members of the upper class of Storybrooke get handcuffed and shoved in the back of gray unmarked sedans. Judge Spenser, Dr. Whale, council members, business owners, lawyers, no one was going to be spending the night in their own beds.

Emma looked over at Regina and saw the light in her eyes. Regina's sparkling eyes and easy smile let Emma know that she was finally free. It was a sight that took Emma's breath away and she felt privileged to be there to witness it, and she would remember how beautiful Regina looked just then for the rest of her felt almost disrespectful to have to interrupt the moment because of how gloriously beautiful she looked, but she cleared her throat anyway.

Regina turned to look at her with a smile, waiting for Emma to say what she wanted to say.

"Regina? Is this a dream?" Emma's light brown eyebrows wrinkled under her blonde ponytail. "I mean, because if it is then I am going to be so pissed when the alarm goes off." Regina chuckled happily and untied her fingers from Emma's and touched her pale cheeks that were dotted with tiny freckles that were nearly invisible, with both hands as she looked deeply into the green eyes that were speckled with gold.

"I assure you my love, you are very much awake and this is definitely happening." She spoke softly in that low sexy tone that drove Emma wild. "We are free darling." A tear fell slowly from her eye and rolled down her smiling face. "We are finally free to be together Emma."

Emma began to tear up as well, there was also a lump forming in her throat. "It's about damn time." Emma's voice wavered as she smirked, then she seized the opportunity to grab Regina by the back of the neck and pull her into a hard kiss. Regina quickly wrapped her arms around her and squeezed her tightly.

"We can finally be together my love." Regina rested her head on Emma's shoulder, nuzzling her nose on Emma's neck to inhale the sweet scent of the other woman. "I'm not afraid anymore. My mother can't hurt you now, I can shout to the world that I love you and not worry for your safety any longer." She kissed Emma's cheek softly and then there eyes met again, the love they shared passing invisibly between them. "No one can come between us now." Then Regina's eyes darkened and Emma saw the mood change on the brunette's face.

"Regina?" Her eyes now reflected the confusion and apprehension that suddenly sprang to life inside her. "What happened? Where did you go just now?" Regina's arms felt stiff around her.

"Lily."

Her face scrunched in confusion. "Lily? What about Lily?"

"You're with her." Her voice went to a whisper as her eyes crept down in defeat. Emma scoffed.

"I'm not with Lily! We broke up!" Emma's lips twisted in thought. "Well, actually she broke up with me. It seems she got jealous of a certain small town mayor." Emma grinned but her smile fell away when she saw Regina look up to her and her eyes had filled up with worry.

"Do you love her?"

"Lily? No. I don't love her." She put her palm on Regina's cheek, holding the woman's face gently. "I liked her, but I was never in love with her. There has only ever been one woman that I have loved and will love. And I'm looking at her right now." Regina smiled gratefully and leaned into Emma's hand, relishing the feeling on her cheek. "Lily knew that I could never love her because I was so in love with you. She finally got fed up with playing second fiddle to you and left."

"I'm glad that she set you free, but I feel terrible for her. I know what it's like to love Emma Swan Nolan and not be able to be with her." She shook her head sadly. "I wouldn't wish that feeling on my worst enemy."

"Well, you never have to worry about that again baby. Because I am never leaving your side." She kissed her softly.

"Agent Nolan! Mayor Mills!" Interpol agent Belle French was running up the steps toward them. She looked frazzled and her eyes were wide. "Cora Mills has escaped!"

They both spoke in unison. "What?!"

In the woods near their sprawling estate, Cora Mills stood leaning against a tree with her hands cuffed behind her back. She shook her head in astonishment wondering how she had come to this. After using the emergency landline phone in her husband's panic room she had walked the long underground tunnel to the secret opening in the woods. After twenty minutes or so she saw headlights getting closer to where she stood. Sidney Glass climbed out of his SUV and looked into the trees lining the private service road.

"Cora?" He whisper shouted right before she emerged from the trees. "Oh there you are." She walked over to him barefoot, having ditched her heels when walking in the woods with them on proved dangerous, as she couldn't use her hands to break her fall.

"Did you bring something to get these damned things off me?" Her tone held bite, she was tired, cold and now a fugitive from the law. Sidney retrieved a large pair of bolt cutters from inside his vehicle. "Good. Cut these off, my hands are falling asleep!" Without further prodding, Sidney got behind her and snipped the chain linking the cuffs. Cora exhaled and shook her arms by her side, they would have to figure out a way to get the infernal things off her wrist later, but at least her arms were now free.

"The town is in absolute chaos!" Sidney looked panicked, Cora was hoping that he could keep it together, because right now he was the only chance she had to get out of this. "There are agents everywhere and they are handing out warrants like Halloween candy. Half of Storybrooke will be behind bars in the morning!"

"Calm yourself Sidney, you just need to follow my instructions and we will be long gone before the sun rises." She calmly strode to his vehicle and once she got in she eyed him until he closed the passenger door for her. He jogged to his side and sat behind the wheel.

"Where are we going?"

"Back to where I used to live." She settled into her seat attempting to regain some of her strength. She was going to need it before the night was through. "Take me to my daughter's home."

Robert Gold had survived for longer than most crime bosses because he always trusted his instincts, and right now his instincts were telling him that something was not right. Warily he followed Captain Nemo from the cargo hold and back onto the deck, having finished the inspection of his shipment. "Something's not right." He muttered to himself almost inaudibly but Nemo turned to shoot him a puzzled look.

"What was that Robert?" Gold was ignoring the captain as he scanned the dark water surrounding the ship, his nose turned up as if he could smell danger in the air. Suddenly the ship was bathed in bright lights and a loud siren sounded.

"This is the US Coast Guard!" A loud voice boomed from a megaphone. "Vessel _Nemo_ surrender and prepare to be boarded!" Both Gold and Nemo looked at each other with a mix of suspicion and rage.

"You set me up!" Gold snarled and swiftly pulled a gun and pointed the barrel at Nemo's abdomen.

"Don't play innocent Gold!" Nemo shouted back. "You've betrayed _me_!" Nemo lunged for the gun and grabbed Gold by the forearm. Gold attempted to pull away but the captain was stronger, quickly Gold was being pulled closer as Nemo grasped the gun barrel. They struggled and a loud bang was echoing out across the ship and over the water as the gun went off.

"Shot's fired! Shot's fired!" The megaphone boomed and soon automatic weapons fire clattered from the guns of the Nemo crew toward the Coast Guard ships. In retaliation the Coast Guard returned fire and the air was filled with flying lead and the sharp cracks of gunfire.

As if they were standing in the eye of the storm, Gold and Nemo were still as the chaotic environment exploded around them. Both of them stared at the other with their eyes as large as saucers, then a small rivulet of blood began to trickle from Nemo's lips.

"No man kills me and lives!" The captain's voice gurgled as he grasped Gold by the shoulders with the inhuman strength of a doomed man. Gold struggled to get free as they wrestled but due to his lame leg he was pushed off balance and both men went over the railing and fell into the dark water below.

"Man overboard!" The loud exclamation from the megaphone was ignored as the sounds of the gun battle drowned it out.

"Who's a snuggy wuggy little bear?" By the intense stare on his small face, it appeared that Henry was waiting on pins and needles for the answer. "You are! You're the snuggy wuggy little bear!" He giggled as Ruby eased his mind by giving him the answer to the riddle.

Ruby smiled broadly and made silly noises as she cradled the precious little baby in her arms. She had agreed to babysit Henry for Regina because of the ball and her planned reunion with Emma, but after spending time with him tonight she would be volunteering to do it every chance she could. His toothless smile was just about the cutest thing she ever saw, and Ruby was pretty certain that she had told him that at least a million times in the last half hour. There was a knock on the front door and Ruby furrowed her eyebrows and looked down at Henry in her arms.

"Now who could that be?" Her voice was in a high pitched squeak that made Henry smile again. "Let's go find out Henry." She bounced him gently up and down in her arms as she walked from the living room to the front door. Ruby leaned her ear to the door. "Who is it?"

"Sheriff Jones."

She scrunched her face in confusion to Henry. "What do you need sheriff?" She hadn't made a move to open the door, she had assumed that the sheriff would be at the ball where he knew Regina was. _Why would he need to come here?_ As if he was reading her mind, Killian provided her with an answer.

"I need to speak to you. Something has happened to the mayor." That was all Ruby needed to here, she yanked the door open quickly and clutched Henry closer, trying to protect him from the bad news she assumed was coming.

"What happened to Regina?!" Her voice was desperate and Killian gave her the most disarming smile in his arsenal.

"Can I come in?"


	22. Chapter 22

Ruby's polite smile fell away once she saw the sheriff's gun in his hand pointed at her and the baby. "May I?" Killian grinned as he moved inside while Ruby backed away slowly, clutching Henry to her chest tightly. Killian closed the door and locked it, all the while keeping his eyes and the gun barrel on Ruby.

"What-" Ruby's throat had gone dry and closed up with fear for herself and the baby. "What do you want?"

"Oh I just came to pick up a package love." Killian advanced on her and Ruby backed all the way up until her back was against the wall. He put his hand on her shoulder and guided her in front of him. "You see things have gone sideways and Storybrooke is no longer safe for me." He was moving them toward Regina's office and Ruby's eyes began to prick with tears borne of fear.

"Please, just let us go." Her voice was a whisper as they passed through the door to Regina's office. Her mind was racing as she tried to figure out a way to escape. She could run, but then she remembered Henry. What if the sheriff shot at her? Henry could get hurt, or worse. She knew she couldn't put him in danger like that, she would just have to do whatever Killian Jones wanted her to do.

"I'm afraid I can't do that love." Killian motioned with his gun for Ruby to sit down behind Regina's desk, she quickly complied. "I may need you two to insure my safe passage out of town."

"You're holding us hostage?"

Killian gave her a roguish grin while continuing to level the gun at her. "Don't think of it like that love, think of it as you are accompanying me on an impromptu trip out of town." His smile disappeared and he lowered his voice. "I've killed a lot of people in my time but I've never killed a baby. Don't make me start tonight."

Stricken mute by terror, Ruby could only nod her head.

"Where do you think she would go?" Emma pulled Regina to the side as agent Belle French coordinated with the police and FBI. Regina placed her hands on her hips and twisted her lips in thought.

"She's on her own and without money." Regina chuckled without humor. "Probably for the first time in her life that she has been in this situation." Emma watched Regina silently work through what Cora's next move would be. There was no one else in the world who knew more about how the miserable old woman's mind worked than her daughter. Regina's eyes went wide. "I need to call Ruby!" She fumbled for her phone in her robe but when she couldn't find it Emma gave Regina her's as her eyebrows furrowed under her golden locks.

"Why do you need to call Ruby?"

Regina was dialing furiously on the phone and pressed it to her ear with a concerned look. "Ruby is at home with Henry! Cora would go there first!" Emma's blood ran cold as she thought of what that vile woman might do to Henry if she felt cornered. "She's not answering Emma!" Regina's eyes started to look frantic. Emma grabbed Regina's wrist and pulled her toward the parking lot.

"Come on, I'll get us there in two minutes."

"Well, well what a surprise." Ruby and Killian were surprised to see a disheveled Cora Mills standing in the doorway of Regina's office with Sidney Glass behind her. "I didn't expect to find you here sheriff."

"Shit."

Emma turned to see the mixture of frustration and fear mar Regina's face. They had turned the corner on Mifflin Street and the mayoral mansion was in sight when Regina had cursed. "Regina? What is it?"

"The sheriff's patrol car is parked in front of my home."

Emma slowed her bug until it was stopped in the middle of the street, and she observed that Regina was correct, the squad car was there. "There's another car parked behind it, do you know who it belongs to?"

"Yes." Regina smirked grimmly. "That is Sydney Glass's, my mother's little lapdog."

"Shit." Emma pulled over and killed the engine, Cora had beaten them there and now the corrupt sheriff was there as well. Emma gulped as she worried over the fact that her infant son and her childhood best friend were now in the hands of two of the most contemptuous people she had ever met.

"What do we do now Emma?" Emma knew that Regina was relying on her FBI training to formulate a plan and Emma felt the weight of this decision like an anchor around her neck. Emma worked through the scenario rapidly in her mind and Regina watched the blonde chew on her bottom lip, deep in thought. Finally, Emma turned to Regina with determined green eyes.

"Okay. You're going in through the front door."

"Cora?" Killian stifled a laugh at the haggard looking woman. "You've looked better." His snide remark was met with a scowl by the former mayor.

"Now is not the time for your _wit_ Jones. Our situation has deteriorated and we have to get out of here. Now!" Killian's appearance at her daughter's home was an obstacle that she didn't have time to deal with. Cora needed what was in the house and so did Killian. "Unless we work together we are both going to spend the rest of our lives behind bars."

Killian's smirk had not budged at her offer, he knew the woman far too well to believe that she cared at all about his fate. "Why of course Cora, by all means, let us work together. Here, take my gun while I turn my back on you." Cora's face fell, he in turn chuckled, amused by the powerless woman she had become. "I'm not that stupid Cora. The first chance you get you'll sell me out to save your hide. I'm sorry love, our partnership is over. It's every man for himself now, and this man is holding the gun."

"Let my son and Ruby go." All heads turned at Regina's sudden appearance, she stood defiantly near her office. Her eyes were icy and absent of fear, her voice pitched in a low growl. "Whatever else you need in this house you can take it and leave."

"My my Regina, did the ball end already?" Cora raised a disapproving eyebrow and curled her lips into a haughty smirk. "When I held them, people would dance into the wee hours."

Killian's loud laughter got everyone's attention. "What would Cora Mills know about holding _balls!"_ Cora's face went beet red as she glared at the sheriff, while Regina looked slightly confused.

"Excuse me?" Even though Regina had far more important things to worry about at the moment, something about Killian's statement triggered her curiosity.

"Keep your mouth shut!" Cora hissed at Killian.

Killian wasn't going to be stopped by a woman who no longer held power over him. "You didn't know that your mother prefered the fairer sex?" Regina's breath caught in her throat as her eyes flashed over to her mother. The older woman looked mortified and Regina observed that Cora was practically vibrating, from fear, nerves, or anger, the younger woman couldn't tell.

"Mother? I-" Regina couldn't verbalize what the thoughts were that raced through her mind. "Is-is this true? Are you-"

"Gay?" Killian offered with a smirk. "As the day is long love. Cora Mills, widower, wife of Robert Gold, former mayor of Storybrooke, and your mother, is a lesbian." The tension in the office was thick and heavy as everyone's attention was focused onto a silent Cora. "Always has been, always will be."

Regina's eyes shifted from confusion to fury in a microsecond. "You're gay!" It wasn't a question, it was an accusation. "You tortured me my entire life for being a lesbian and _you're_ gay! How could you? I'm your daughter!"

Cora's attention shifted from her daughter to the sheriff, ignoring the look of disbelief from Regina. "You think you're in control here don't you?" Her lips were pulled back, baring her teeth as if she was a wolf prepared to tear Killian to pieces. "You think you've won."

"I _know_ I have love."

Cora raised her head in defiance."You don't know anything." There was venom in her words and fire in her eyes and had Killian not been holding his gun he might have been intimidated. However Regina was done feeling that way about her mother, the woman no longer held any influence on Regina's feelings, and what she felt now was rage.

"Answer me mother!" Cora turned and regarded her daughter, still holding her head aloft while attempting to project a cool demeanor. Regina was practiced at reading her mother's face and while everyone else saw a cold woman in control, she could see the cracks in her stony facade, the rapid blinking of her eyelids, the slight tremble of her upper lip, the thin sheen of sweat on her forehead.

"I don't see how this is important, nor is it any of your business."

"None of my business!" Regina had walked to her mother and was face to face with her, she had to see for herself why her mother had hidden this side from her. "You have derided and detested me my entire life! You made me feel less than human because of the way I loved Emma! You did this to your own daughter! Why? Is it because you hated yourself so much for being gay that you made my life a living Hell?!"

"Yes! Yes! Is that what you want to hear Regina? That I'm a lesbian? That I am attracted to women and not men? That I am a sexual deviant? That I am disgusted by my unnatural feelings?" Cora's face was twisted in a mixture of fear, sadness, self loathing, hatred, every negative emotion she had buried deep in her psyche for decades. "My father told me how I was an abomination against God! How I would burn in Hell for what I was! He tried to beat it out of me! I was trying to protect you! Don't you understand? I treated you that way out of love because I didn't want you to burn as a degenerate."

Regina backed away as if she had been slapped. "You think that excuses you? You think you were sparing me?" Her rage poured out of her like burning lava from an exploding volcano. The years of torment and abuse burst out of her like a dam breaking and she released it all on the person who had caused her nightmare. "You know what _mother_?" The word burned as it left her mouth. "You _are_ a degenerate. Not because you are gay, no, to be gay is the most natural thing in the world. Love is love. No, what makes you a degenerate is how you tortured me and made me afraid to love my entire life, you made me afraid to be who I am. That's what makes you a monster. Now you are nothing to me, less than nothing. You disgust me."

Her words hung in the air and pressed down on them all. Regina stood tall and victorious, proud and free. Cora's face shook with shame and disbelief and Regina felt satisfaction from finally being able to tell her mother off.

"Well this is all very lovely, mother and daughter working it out." Killian was walking from behind the desk where Ruby sat, holding a quiet and calm Henry. "But I have a little business to take care of, so excuse me ladies." He jeered as he stopped in front of a large painting of Regina's father. While Killian removed the painting from the wall Regina walked slowly until she was standing next to Ruby. On the wall where the painting once hung a moment before a safe appeared. Regina was baffled as to how Killian knew about the safe and despite herself she spoke.

"What is in there that is so important?"

Killian stood beside it and pointed like he was a game show host. "In this safe is my ticket to safety love. The account numbers and passcodes for all of Gold's offshore holdings, with these I will be a rich man." Cora laughed at him in defiance.

"You fool, you don't even know the combination."

"Well, it's a good thing _you're_ here isn't it?" Killian pointed the gun at her and pulled back the hammer.

"It's her birthday." Regina interjected and Cora shot her a look of betrayal. "August 8 1952." Regina smiled victoriously at her mother. "Only a true narcissist would use their own birthday for their combination."

Killian punched in the code and the safe beeped and then opened, he pulled out the papers inside and looked at them with greedy eyes. "Now that I have what I came for I will bid you all adieu." Regina squared her shoulders and glared at him.

"Good riddance, now get out of here!"

"Of course madam mayor." Instead of going toward the door Killian moved back to the desk. "But not without a traveling companion. Let's go little one." Killian motioned for the baby and Regina stepped in front of him, positioning her body between Killian and her child.

"You will take him over my dead body." Regina growled the words with deadly seriousness but Killian just smirked.

"If you insist love."

"FBI! Nobody move!" Everyone turned to see Emma standing in the doorway pointing her gun at Killian. "Step away from my son." Killian froze and for a moment seemed unsure of what to do. "Drop the gun by your feet and walk slowly to me. Now!" Emma's voice was forceful and her aim steady.

"No problem love." Killian's arm slowly lowered to his side and he moved away from the desk. Emma didn't drop her guard, she kept the barrel of her gun aimed directly at his heart.

"Drop the gun Jones." Her warning was ignored as Killian moved closer slowly but still kept the gun in his hand.

"Emma be careful!" Emma heard Regina but never moved her eyes from the corrupt sheriff as he continued to creep toward her.

"I'm giving you one last warning Jones! Drop the gun or I drop you!" Killian smiled and attempted to use his charming eyes to defuse the situation.

"Come on love, you don't need to do this." The gun was still in his hand and he was only a few feet from Emma now. "I just want the money, you can let me go. I've never done anything to you."

"You tried to kill my parents you bastard." Emma's green eyes darkened and Killian grew fearful as he noticed the sudden change. "Drop your gun before I end you." Instead Killian lifted his empty hand in surrender but still held the gun at his side.

"I was just doing as Gold told me. I didn't want to kill them, it was just business."

"Just business?" Emma spat the words out. "You're a real piece of shit, you know that Jones? I'm going to enjoy watching them put you away."

"I'm not going to prison love." Everything seemed to move in slow motion to Emma. Killian's gun hand raised and she instinctively squeezed the trigger.


	23. Chapter 23

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion for Emma. She could see a twitch on Killian's cheek as his gun went off, she saw the muzzle flash and heard the pop as the bullet rocketed out of his gun. She felt the spark of a fire burn her shoulder and the gust of wind across her skin from the metal projectile. There was a crackling of glass behind her and a shriek of terror. Although her senses were hyper alert just then, her nerves were steady and her breathing calm, it was as if she was standing in the center of a hurricane and while everything around her was flying apart Emma Swan was unmoved.

Her bullet struck Killian Jones squarely in his upper chest and she watched as his eyes bugged out in surprise while he fell to his knees and then slumped to the floor, bending backwards until he lay flat on his back. Sydney Glass was now reaching into his jacket and Emma swung her gun in his direction, her sight was level to his heart.

"Sydney! What are you-?" Cora Mills shouted as Sydney pushed her off to the side and away from him.

"We need to get out of here now!" Sydney was covered in sweat and appeared unhinged, Emma knew that a loaded gun was the last thing someone in his current mental state should be behind. They had just jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire. "She killed him! She killed the sheriff!"

Emma barked at the shaky henchman with absolute authority. "Because he had a gun pointed at me like you do now! Put. The gun. Down!" She saw the panic on his face and felt her anxiety rise, Sydney was losing it and was liable to snap.

"You fool!" Cora spat at him and ran as quickly as she could out of the room, Sydney spun his head to follow her with his eyes.

"Wait! Where are you-" Sydney never finished his question as Emma tackled him hard driving her shoulder into his abdomen and pinning him to the floor. With the wind knocked out of him he dropped his gun and Emma flipped him over onto his stomach, pulling his wrists up painfully behind his back.

"Regina! Grab Killian's cuffs!" Emma shouted over her shoulder. Hearing her name snapped Regina back into action as she had been frozen in place during the standoff. She rushed from where she was standing beside Ruby and her son and over to the lifeless corpse of the sheriff. Swallowing the bile in her throat from being near a dead body, she steeled herself and snatched the handcuffs from his service belt, she moved as quickly as she could to Emma's side.

"Here." Emma nodded and took the handcuffs from her before securing them to Sydney's wrists.

"You know, you're a special kind of stupid Sydney!" Emma said as she yanked him up hard by his arm, causing him to yelp in pain. "Pointing a gun at a federal agent is a serious crime. What the hell do you think you were doing?"

Sydney stared off into space like he had lost touch with reality. "I did it for her. I love her." Emma rolled her eyes.

"Yep. A special kind of stupid."

Regina perked up at the realization that her mother had escaped. "Mother." She said to Emma and hurried out of the office and to the front door of the mansion that had been left wide open. Her eyes scanned all around but she saw no trace of her mother, she frowned and hurried back into the office. "She's gone."

Emma nodded grimly at her and watched as Regina headed over to check on Ruby and Henry. "Everyone okay over there?" She watched as Regina carefully took Henry into her arms.

"Yes. No one is hurt." Regina said softly as she marveled at her still silent infant son, kissing him gently on his cheek.

"Speak for yourself! I'm pretty sure I just had three heart attacks!" Ruby exclaimed as she put her hand to her chest and struggled to calm her breathing.

"Sorry Rubes." Emma looked apologetically at her best friend before she returned her attention to her prisoner. "Let's get this guy out of here, and I'm sure you guys want to leave too." Regina glanced sickly at Killian's body.

"Gladly."

Ruby invited them all to stay at her house that evening. Regina's mansion was now a crime scene and she honestly didn't know if she could ever sleep comfortably there again after seeing sheriff Jones die in her office. No matter how much satisfaction she had gotten from killing the man who had tried to kill her parents, Emma understood how Regina felt.

That night seemed like it would never end with all the chaos that engulfed the town. Emma had discovered the bodies of Neal and special agent August in the sheriff's station when she had taken Sidney there. She felt incredibly bad for special agent August who was only doing his duty and had been killed by, she assumed, Killian Jones. Once again she took some grim satisfaction from knowing that she had been the one to send the corrupt sheriff to his final resting place in Hell. Interpol agent Belle French was stunned by the death of her associate and thanked Emma for bringing Jones to justice, a brutal justice, but justice nonetheless.

And then there was Neal Gold. Emma couldn't quite process her emotions yet regarding his murder, she knew she was still in shock after seeing him dead in his cell. She had hated the man for so long that she wasn't sure how she would go on without having to hate him everyday. She felt a numbness that shamed her, she wanted to feel good about his death but with everything that was going on around her that night she just couldn't muster up any emotion for him at all. It would come eventually, but for now she felt nothing over him.

Storybrooke was like an angry beehive with all the activity in the town. People were out of their homes talking to their neighbors in the streets even though it was way past midnight. News was traveling like wildfire through the citizenry, the sheriff was dead, Mr. Gold was a drug dealer, half the civic leaders had been arrested, and the ex mayor was on the run. The whole town seemed to be teetering on a precipice and everyone seemed on edge waiting for the other shoe to drop. Even though she was exhausted, Emma doubted that she or anyone else in town would be getting much sleep. Before she left Belle at the station, where the Interpol agent was running things until another special agent from the FBI could arrive to take over, she was informed that Mr. Gold's body had yet to be recovered. He had fallen off the ship and disappeared. The body of the captain of the vessel had been recovered by divers, but they were still searching for Robert Gold.

Emma dragged herself through Ruby's front door and found the house was dark, she assumed that everyone was asleep. She was going to plop down on Ruby's sofa and try to get a couple hours of sleep before dawn when she saw a single lamp lit in the living room and a very awake Regina Mills sitting on the couch.

"Hi." Emma had her hands in her back pockets and rocked back and forth on her heels as she watched Regina snap out of the deep thoughts she had been lost in before. Regina's face softened when she saw Emma and a smile spread on her face that warmed the blonde's heart.

"Hey." Regina smiled and lightly patted the cushion beside her with her hand, inviting Emma to sit down next to her. Emma sat down and their knees lightly touched, Emma tented her fingers together and leaned forward, her elbows vibrated from her knees bouncing up and down underneath them.

"Sooooo." Emma drawled out and looked at Regina sheepishly. Regina simply shook her head and smiled, she took Emma's hand into hers and intertwined their fingers together.

"Are you nervous?" Regina's voice contained a hint of humor behind her words. "Well, you needn't be. You should never feel nervous around me." Emma grinned at her and nodded, feeling calmer from the touch.

"Honestly I don't know if it's nerves or if I'm just coming down off the adrenaline. Tonight has been crazy bananas!" Emma splayed her fingers and pulled them through her long blonde hair. "I mean, everything that has gone on tonight has changed _everything_ Regina, and not just for us. I'm just mentally overloaded I guess." Regina squeezed Emma's hand lightly between hers.

"Well, I'm not." She said softly but with conviction. "Everything that has happened tonight has brought everything into focus for me Emma. I love you and I want the whole world to know how much." Her eyebrows furrowed. "But…"

Emma frowned and she swallowed nervously. " _But_? I'm not going to like this am I?" Regina gave her a reassuring look.

"No darling, there is nothing to worry about." She cleared her throat. "I just- it's just that-"

Emma leaned forward and raised her eyebrows, waiting for the rest of the sentence that seemed stuck in the mayor's throat.

" _-Just_ _that_ what? What is it Regina?"

"Where do we go from here?" She waved her hand in between the two of them. "Us. What do we do about us?"

Emma leaned back and thought about what Regina was asking, who in turn raised an unsure eyebrow, anxious for the blonde's response. "Would you like to go to dinner with me?"

"What?" Regina shook her head in confusion and Emma smiled at her.

"I don't mean right now, I mean I would like to go on a date with you, if that's okay."

Regina gave her a confused chuckle, but her eyes showed that her anxiety was beginning to vanish. "Look, we both love each other, right?" Regina nodded happily in agreement. "Okay, but we've actually never gone out on a date. I get it Regina, you're nervous about what happens next. I am too. But I want to be with you more than _anything_ , so let's do this the right way. Would you allow me to court you?"

"Court me?" Regina covered her mouth with her hand as she laughed.

"Yeah, you know, court, woo, fancy about town?" She grinned and was delighted when she saw the beautiful smile that spread across Regina's face.

"Yes, Emma Swan Nolan, I would love it if you would _woo_ me."

"I can't believe I'm going to go on a date with Regina Mills!" Emma broke into a goofy grin. "She is like, the most popular girl in school!" They both laughed and then Emma touched her palm lightly to Regina's cheek. "And the prettiest." Regina smiled and moved in closer to lightly press her lips to Emma's. Before the kiss could deepen there was a knock at Ruby's front door. They both exchanged curious glances and then Regina stood.

"I wonder who that could be at this hour?" Emma followed behind her, she wasn't going to let Regina out of her sight tonight, not with all the insanity that had gone on. Regina opened the door and both women dropped their jaws once they saw who was standing before them on the stoop.

"Mother?"


	24. Chapter 24

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Cora's head snapped up a little as she reacted to her daughter's vulgarity, she had raised Regina better than that. The ex mayor saw the blonde girl come in to view and stand behind her daughter.

"Is that anyway to greet your mother Regina?" Cora's practised smile was firmly in place.

Her daughter scoffed at her and crossed her arms.

"Oh please! You have no right to question me!"

"Answer her! What the fuck are you doing here Cora?" Emma clenched her hands into fists, she desperately wanted to pound Cora into the pavement but held her temper for Regina's sake. Despite looking haggard and looking every bit like the fugitive she is, Cora raised her head in proud defiance.

"I have come for what is mine."

Regina could not hold back the laugh inside her as she stared at her mother in contempt. "There is nothing for you here."

"Except an ass kicking for torturing your own daughter!" Emma growled and leaned forward but Regina touched her arm gently to keep her back.

"I am only here to get my money from you Regina and then I shall take my leave." Regina shook her head in contempt and smirked at her mother.

"Of course that would be the only reason for you to come see me. It wouldn't be to beg my forgiveness, that's for damn sure."

"Forgiveness? For what? For giving birth to you? For providing for you? For raising you? Why on Earth would I need forgiveness for anything?" Emma's mind was blown by the woman's arrogance.

"Are you fucking kidding me lady? How about inflicting years of emotional abuse on your own child? You should be on your hands and knees!"

Cora scoffed and waved her hand in dismissal at Emma. "Oh please, you have know idea what it was like."

"But _I_ do mother." Regina felt her anger bubbling back up to the surface as her mother tried to downplay her horrible parenting. "You treated me as if I was worthless my whole life and now you have the gall to come and ask me for a handout?" Regina laughed in Cora's face causing the older woman to scowl.

"I gave you that money for this very purpose. Now if you will give me my money, I'll be on my way."

Regina smiled deviously. "Your money mother? Why you don't have any money? You gave it to me remember?"

"Only to protect it from being seized! It wasn't supposed to be permanent!"

"Oh, I guess I should have told my lawyer that then. You see after you signed the funds to me I drained your accounts and then dispersed all the assets into my own accounts. So all that money is now mine mother. You have nothing."

Cora's jaw dropped and she couldn't find her voice. Regina relished in the moment, she had finally won, she had beaten her mother at her own game."That was my money! You had no right!" Cora screamed.

"Yes." Regina said it slowly, as if she was talking to a child. "It was yours, but you gave it to me so now it's mine. And I would loan you a few dollars but I'm a little cash poor right now." Regina crossed her arms and held her chin high, Emma thought she looked almost regal. "I've been busy you see. I am in the process of setting up the Mary Margaret Nolan Foundation, it's mission will be researching the treatment and cure for paralysis." Emma's heart skipped a beat and she felt tears spring to life in her eyes. She could not believe that Regina would do that for her mother, and it made her love her even more. "The rest of the money I have donated to various LGBTQ charities, under your name of course."

"I am your mother Regina! I gave birth to you!"

"A fact that I am grateful for." Regina nodded. "As a thank you for that I am presenting you with a gift. Since you gave me life I will give you yours. Instead of turning you in I am allowing you to run."

"What? You're letting her go?" Emma couldn't believe her ears, she couldn't believe that Regina would let her mother escape justice.

"Yes, she will go, but only with the clothes on her back. That is all I give you. No cash, no car, nothing. You leave now with exactly what you gave me at birth. Now we are even." Emma was impressed, she whistled loudly.

"That _is_ justice I guess." Emma grinned proudly.

"What am I supposed to do now Regina?" For the first time in her memory it looked to Regina that her mother was on the verge of tears. She imagined if her upbringing had been different she might have felt sorry for Cora. But there was far too much bad blood between them, too much history for her to ever feel sorry for her mother. Regina leaned forward and gave her mother the cruelest smile she could muster and spoke to her coldly.

"Run."

At first she appeared astonished, then as she took one step backwards followed by another then another, Cora's face showed fear. Soon she was scuffling down the walkway on bare feet. Beginning her flight for her life and freedom.

"Now there's a sight I thought I would never see." Regina mused with a smile on her face. "The proud Cora Mills sneaking away into the darkness like a rat. Penniless and powerless."

Emma looked at her then and saw the strength in the woman's face. It appeared that Regina had been transported back in time to the confident and hopeful teenage girl that Emma had first fallen in love with. At that moment she could not have been prouder of her love and she felt an overwhelming need to tell her. "I love you Regina."

Regina looked surprised for a moment, not expecting those words from Emma just now. But the surprise melted away and her eyes softened as she gazed at Emma. A smile spread on her face as she lightly touched Emma's cheek with the tips off her fingers. "And I love you Emma. More than I can say in simple words." She moved her lips to Emma's and they shared a

long, soft kiss.

Just then a baby's cry caused them to break apart and interrupt their kiss. Regina grinned at the slightly panicked look that appeared in Emma's eyes. "Relax my love, that's his hungry cry." Emma looked relieved and Regina took her hand in her own. "Come with me." Regina led her up the stairs to Henry's bedroom. "I want you to meet someone."

Emma stayed in the doorway of Ruby's spare bedroom as she watched Regina gently lift the crying baby into her arms. As she stood there she could feel her heart beat like a jackhammer. She watched as Regina held and soothed Henry and felt anxious. Regina looked like a natural mother and Emma couldn't remember the last time she had actually held a baby. As Regina turned to face her Emma knew that her eyes were probably bugging right out of her head.

"Here you are Emma." Regina's smile was so caring that Emma almost let go of her nervousness. Almost. "Henry," Regina looked down and spoke softly to the baby. "This is Emma, she's your mommy." She moved closer and held Henry out for Emma to take but the blonde found that her arms seemed to be frozen to her sides.

"I don't know if I can do this Regina." Emma's voice was shaky and she felt the pin prick of tears in her eyes. Regina looked at her with complete understanding on her face and nodded.

"I understand how you feel Emma. But trust me, once you hold him everything will fall into place." She moved even closer so that Emma had no choice but to raise her arms and take the baby.

She held the small boy to her chest and looked at his green eyes. Regina was right, she thought, all of her anxiety melted away when he looked at her. She fell in love with her son, her Henry, right there in Ruby's spare bedroom.

"Hi Henry." She spoke softly to the confused looking infant. "I'm your mommy. I'm so happy to meet you."

Regina covered her mouth with her hand and tried to fight back the happy tears that broke free and rolled down her cheeks. "You look so perfect together." Her voice was shaky with emotion and Emma looked up at her with watery eyes. The blonde took held Henry with one arm and pulled Regina closer to her until their foreheads touched.

" _We're_ perfect together."

Regina could not recall a moment in her life that she felt more content than she did right then. "This is all I've ever wanted." She said it softly and kissed Emma on her cheek. "Together with you, like this. Like a family."

"Me too." Emma smiled and then chuckled. "I didn't imagine this little guy though." She looked at Henry and smiled. "But I wouldn't trade him for anything."

"I love you Emma."

"I love you Regina." Henry started to fuss and the two women grinned at the baby.

"I'll go fix his bottle." Regina said as she left the room, right before she went into the kitchen she turned back and looked at the two most precious people in the world to her.

 **A/N: I'm sooooo sorry that it's taken me so long to update this story! I have been working really hard editing my first novel! (YAY!) But I haven't forgotten about this story. I have some great SQ moments coming up in the story for our two favorite ladies. So please hold on and stick with me. Thanks for reading and reviewing, you all keep me motivated to keep writing! XOXOXOX**


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: Sorry it has taken me so long to update, but I promise things are getting better! My novel is on its second draft now and I am finally able to get back to this story! So thank you for sticking with me!**

"Is something wrong sweetie?" Emma's mother had been watching her daughter slump her way around the kitchen as she poured herself a cup of coffee. Emma's shoulders were hunched and her lips were turned down at the corners. Mary Margaret had a feeling that she knew what was bothering Emma but she would rather her daughter tell her than have to pry it out of her. "Earth to Emma. Emma?"

"What? Did you say something?" Dull green eyes focused on Mary Margaret.

Mary Margaret looked up at her daughter from her wheelchair with a sympathetic smile. "Emma, why don't you just go to her?" Emma looked puzzled.

"Who? Regina? I was just there this weekend to see her and Henry." Emma replied in confusion.

"Yes, but with the time it takes to drive there and back, couple that with time spent sleeping, how much do you really see each other? Then when you come back you are dragging yourself around for the first half of the week and then bouncing off the walls the next half because you're so anxious to see them again. That's no way to live Emma."

Emma rolled her eyes as she took a long sip of her coffee, she prayed that the caffeine would activate right away, she wouldn't admit it to her mother but she did feel like a zombie, not alive but not yet dead. "I have a job here mom. I have to work."

Mary Margaret crossed her arms. "You can get a job anywhere Emma. You don't have to stay here, what is the real reason?" Mary Margaret raised her hand slowly to her mouth. "It's not me is it? You're not staying here because you feel you need to take care of me are you?"

Emma shook her head. "No mom that's not the reason." She knew the real reason why she was unable to leave home. She was scared. They had gone on a few dates together since everything began to settle down and if Emma was being completely honest with herself, things had not gone well. Their conversations had felt stilted, there were long periods of silence and awkwardness.

Those uncomfortable encounters were now resulting in Emma pulling away from Regina emotionally. It upset her tremendously to think that perhaps she had put Regina on a pedestal for too long and now that they had a chance to be together perhaps the fantasy was better than the reality. The question dogged her at work and kept her up at night while she stared at her ceiling on her bed.

 _Did they really belong together?_

Mary Margaret looked at her daughter and could see the turmoil churning inside her. She knew her daughter had issues with commitment in relationships, whenever things got serious Emma would run. Although Lily had been Emma's longest relationship, Mary Margaret had still gone through a lot of midnight freak out talks with her daughter.

"Emma." Mary Margaret took her daughter's hand and spoke softly. "You're getting in your own way. You are looking for problems where there aren't any. You and Regina have a special connection, and now there is nothing standing in your way except your own fear."

Emma looked down at her coffee mug and stared at the dark brew in silence.

"He is such a big boy!" Ruby held Henry high above her head in her arms, earning giggles from the happy child. "Yes him is! Yes him is!" She attacked his belly with raspberries causing the six month old to laugh uncontrollably.

Regina smiled broadly as she watched her best friend play with her son. Well, Henry was _their_ son really. Her's and Emma's. Ruby noticed the thoughtful look on Regina's face just then and grinned knowingly.

"Soooo…" Her friend said with a raised eyebrow and a playful smirk. "How are things going with you and Emma?" Regina sighed and turned her eyes to the ceiling of her friend's living room and Ruby frowned. "Something wrong in paradise?"

"No. Well-no-I don't know." Regina stammered and looked flustered surprising the restaurateur.

Ruby cradled the busy little Henry in her arms as she looked at Regina with compassion in her eyes. "I have never seen you look so conflicted Regina. What's wrong girl?"

Sitting on the couch near her friend, Regina nervously ran her fingers through her raven colored hair and then rested her face in her palms. "I don't know Ruby." She spoke with a muffled voice through her hands before she raised her head to look at Ruby. "I imagined this being different. I mean we're finally able to be together! There's nothing standing in our way of being together now! We should be happy." She blew out a deep breath and her shoulders sagged.

"But you're not." Ruby finished her thought for her.

"I don't know. Maybe we are?" Regina shrugged. "Our relationship, if you can even call it that, doesn't seem to be going just seems like Emma's being so distant. When she's here it seems like she can't wait to leave again. I don't understand it Ruby."

"Regina, I've known Emma all my life and I think I know what's going on with her." Regina waited on pins and needles for Ruby to continue. "She's scared."

"Scared?"

"Sure, she's scared. Scared that things are about to get real now."

Regina thought about Ruby's words but they didn't make sense to her. Emma? Scared? Emma wasn't afraid of anything, at least that was what Regina had always believed. The Emma she knew was fearless. But maybe she didn't know Emma as well as she thought.

"Earth to Regina." Ruby's voice snapped her back to the outside world. "You still with me?"

"Yes. I'm sorry Ruby, I was just thinking." Regina's voice was soft and distant and Ruby could tell something was weighing on her friend's mind.

"What is it Regina? What's really bothering you?"

"What if she's having second thoughts about us? Maybe she realizes that I'm not what she wanted. Maybe I was just a representation to her of some ideal person that she wanted. Or thought she wanted. What if I disappointed her? What if she realizes she doesn't want me? What if I'm not good enough?"

Ruby saw the tears begin to build up in Regina's eyes and it broke her heart. She knew that Regina had grown up feeling that she wasn't special and that no one would ever love her. Ruby wished that she knew where Cora was so she could kick her ass for making her friend feel that way.

"Now you listen to me madam mayor." Ruby's voice held humor but also an earnestness that she hoped would get through to Regina. "You could never disappoint anyone. And I never want to hear you say that you think you're not good enough. You are smart, you are beautiful, you have one of the biggest hearts I know and if I wasn't straight I would be all over you." Regina had to chuckle just then. "Now I know Emma and she can be a bit dense at times, she can't see what's right in front of her. Hell all through high school you were dropping hints left and right and the girl still didn't know you liked her! Emma's going to want to run from her feelings, it's what she does. But you need to stop her, go after her, do whatever you have to do to get her. Because you two belong together Regina. She loves you and you love her, both of you need to stop making this so complicated and get together already!"

Ruby watched as a flame flickered in Regina's eyes like a fireball and it seemed like new life had suddenly filled the woman. Regina sat up straight and squared her shoulders. "You're right Ruby. If she thinks she can just run away from us then I'm just going to have to catch her." Her plump lips pulled into a playful smirk and Ruby felt relief over her friend's new resolve to fight for her love. "Oh, I've been meaning to ask you something Ruby." Ruby raised an eyebrow from curiosity as she awaited the question.

"What is it?"

Regina's smile spread wide across her face. "How would you like to be mayor of Storybrooke?"

Robert Gold was finally ready to exact his revenge. It had taken him months to elude the authorities until he felt relatively safe. He had called in all his favors from associates and was able to secure some cash and a weapon. He sat in the motel room on the outskirts of Boston, feeling his rage threatening to burst through his chest. His fortune was gone, his reputation was ruined, all of his criminal contacts avoided him like the plague. And worst of all, his son was dead.

It was all their fault. All three of them had each helped to destroy him. Now it was time to pay them back. Soon Robert Gold would get his revenge on Cora, Regina, and Emma.


	26. Chapter 26

"You want me to do what?" Ruby was sure she hadn't heard Regina correctly, but Regina just chuckled at her friend's reaction.

"I want you to be the mayor of Storybrooke." She smiled but as she saw Ruby's shell shocked look remain in place she began to grow anxious. "It's just that I think you would do a fantastic job Ruby. Everyone in town loves you and they respect you. Just promise me you'll consider it?"

Ruby shook her head to try and snap herself out of the confused haze she had been transported into. "Wait? You don't want to be mayor anymore?"

"That's just it Ruby, I never wanted to be mayor. My mother wanted that for me, I had no choice but to follow in her footsteps." Regina's eyes had darkened when she mentioned her mother's control of her life and choices but then they softened as she spoke again. "With her out of the picture now I can finally live the life that I've always wanted to live."

Ruby knew that Regina had been trapped by her mother ever since she was a little girl and her heart went out to the pleading woman. She just wasn't sure if she wanted to take on the responsibility of running the town. "If you're not the mayor then what will you do? Go back to being a lawyer?" Regina shook her head.

"No. Again that was my mother's idea. I never wanted to go to law school, but she refused to pay for college if I didn't. Once again I was too afraid to tell her no." She looked embarrassed from the admission so Ruby put a comforting hand on the woman's forearm. Regina smiled at the gesture and it seemed to help brighten her mood again. "In truth with all the money that is still left from Gold's operation that my mother stole, I honestly never have to work again."

"Well why don't you travel the world or something? I know that's what I would do!"

Regina laughed. "Maybe someday. But I really want to go back to my first love. Acting."

Ruby's eyes lit up with excitement. "Hey that's amazing! I'm so happy for you! I can't wait to see you on stage again girl!"

Regina held her hand up. "Well I wasn't thinking about performing again. I think I missed my opportunity, I'm not a young girl anymore."

"That's ridiculous Regina. You're still young enough to act."

"Maybe, but I was thinking about doing something a little different."

"What? Directing?"

"No. Teaching."

Ruby frowned. "Teaching? Teaching what?"

Regina chuckled. "Well acting, silly! What else? I would love to help foster the love of acting in children. I want them to feel the same kind of freedom that I felt when I was on stage all those years ago." Her face grew melancholy for a moment but then she shook her head to dispel the feeling of loss. Ruby smiled and patted Regina's knee lightly.

"You'll be great Regina."

Cora Mills wiped her brow with the back of her hand and sighed as she rubbed her aching back. She had been bending over for what felt like hours, but in reality had been just ten minutes, cleaning the last of the three toilets in the public mens room on the third floor. Now she would start on mopping the floor and she would be done. Well, she would be done until she went up to the fourth floor and started on the bathrooms there.

"Carol. Carol!" She jerked her head in surprise and saw her supervisor standing near the restroom door.

"Yes?"

"I swear I don't know where you go off to. Everytime I call your name it takes you awhile to respond, don't you know your own name?" The overweight woman with the permanent scowl on her face crossed her arms and squinted curiously at Cora as if trying to peer inside her head.

"Sorry Geraldine." How Cora hated the miserable woman, her supervisor seemed to take pleasure in seeing 'Carol Miller' suffer. She was constantly riding her, much more than she did the other members of the cleaning staff, at least that was Cora's opinion.

"Well I need you to wrap it up down here. I was just up on four and one of the toilets is going to need special attention." The squat woman seemed to sneer at Cora. "It looks like someone had a pretty bad accident up there. You better bring a face mask with you, the smell is pretty strong." The woman spun on her heels and left Cora standing with the toilet brush in her hand.

Belle French smiled and waved as she exited her Interpol office in Paris. It had been a long shift of forms and paperwork and she was looking forward to her days off with her fiance, Will Scarlet, who stood outside waiting for her.

"Will! What are you doing here?" She hugged him hard and smiled into his shoulder.

"I wanted to surprise you with dinner love!" His heavy English accent made her smile, it was one of the many things about him that she found charming. "I figured you could use a nice and relaxing night out." He kissed her lightly on the lips and she wrapped her arms behind his neck.

"You're so thoughtful Wil. I've been worn out since lunch, I think a nice dinner would be just what the doctor ordered."

"He bowed to her with a flourish. "Well then let me retrieve your carriage my dear." He held his hand out and she happily dropped her car keys in it.

"I'm parked in the lot."

"I know." He grinned at her as turned to walk away.

"I love you!" She shouted happily to his back and he spun around with a huge grin on his face.

"I know!" He blew her a kiss and jogged off in the direction of the parking lot. Belle hummed in contentment as she waited on the busy street. After a moment there was the sound of a loud explosion and a chill ran through her when she realized the direction it had come from.

"Will." She whispered fearfully as she broke into a full sprint toward the lot where she could already see a pillar of black smoke rising. Her worst fears were confirmed as she got closer and saw the wreckage of her car engulfed in flames.

Emma rubbed her eyes with her free hand as she kept the other firmly on the steering wheel. She was just thirty minutes away from Storybrooke and her anxiety was only getting worse as she got closer. She was unsure what she was going to tell Regina exactly. Emma was torn in two emotionally, while she wanted to make it work with Regina the difficulty of a long distance relationship and the awkwardness she felt when they got together had her questioning if what they had was real.

Ahead of her she saw a disabled van on the side of the road and a woman attempting to flag her down. The woman was tall and thin and her long hair was shockingly white. The FBI agent in her wondered why a woman who appeared to be dressed like a Vogue model complete with a long fur coat would be driving a windowless panel van, but the good samaritan in her slowed her car to a stop behind the van.

"Trouble with the van?" Emma climbed out of her car and walked over to the woman who looked relieved that someone had stopped to help her.

"Yes! I have a flat tire and I have no idea how to change it!" The woman seemed flustered and frustrated. "Can you help me?"

Emma grinned at the helpless woman. "I think so. Let me take a look." Emma walked around her and bent down to examine the wheel. She frowned at the perfectly normal looking tire. "It seems okay." Emma slowly turned her confused eyes to the woman just in time to see the stun gun. The wired barbs flew and latched to her skin sending electricity coursing through her body and immobilizing her. Before she slipped into darkness she heard the van door open and a very familiar voice.

"Excellent work Cruella. Now let's take Emma to her new home." Mr. Robert Gold said.


	27. Chapter 27

Emma's entire body ached as she slowly regained consciousness. She was lying down on something, something that wasn't too comfortable either she thought. With her fingers she easily found the edges on either side of her prone body and came to the conclusion that she was lying on a cot. Lifting her head gingerly, due to the pounding headache that she was suffering through, she was confused by her surroundings.

"What the hell?" She whispered to herself. Slowly she brought her legs over the side of the cot and rose up to sit on the cot. She was in a cellar. There were stone walls and a concrete floor and one little window near the ceiling that showed she was below ground level. But there were also bars on the window. With a rush of adrenaline she shot up off the cot and raced up the stairs that led to a door. She wrestled with the doorknob and found it locked. She squared her shoulders and slammed her body into the door trying to break it down. The door wouldn't budge and she had to stop or risk breaking her shoulder instead of the door. She began pounding on the door with her fists.

"Hey! Open up! Hey!" She screamed and screamed until she heard noises coming from the other side of the door. It sounded like keys and maybe chains, she stepped back and readied herself on the stairs for a fight. When the door opened her mouth fell open in surprise from the sight of the man before her. The man who held a gun in his hand pointed right at her.

"Ah Emma, you're awake. Good. We have much to discuss dearie." Robert Gold spoke with a sneer and absolute hatred burning in his eyes.

Friday night passed with no Emma. Then Saturday, no Emma. By Saturday night Regina had decided to call her to see if something had come up and that she wouldn't be visiting this weekend. There was no answer so she left a voicemail.

"Hi Emma, it's me. Um, I thought you were coming to visit Henry and I this weekend but perhaps I got my dates mixed up. Give me a call when you get the chance. Bye." She was starting to worry because it wasn't like Emma to go so long without at least sending a text. After no response from her all day Sunday Regina decided to call Emma's parents.

"No, we haven't heard from her since she went to work Friday morning Regina." Mary Margaret's voice sounded as anxious as Regina felt. "We just thought that she went straight from work to Storybrooke and that she was with you all weekend."

Regina watched Henry playing on the floor with a few large plastic blocks, oblivious to his mother's nervous pacing around him. "Maybe something happened to her?" Regina was chewing on her thumbnail, something she hadn't done since she was eight years old. "She could have had an accident! She could be in the hospital somewhere!"

"Regina, I'm sure she's alright. David is calling all the hospitals right now to see if anyone matching her description is there." Mary Margaret was trying to comfort Regina but her words sounded forced, as if she didn't believe what she was saying. "It's probably a work thing, maybe she's on assignment."

"Or maybe she's lying beside the road in a ditch somewhere!" Her volume scared Henry and she kicked herself mentally for being so loud. He began to cry so she scooped him up and tried to console him while cradling her phone on her shoulder.

"David said that he'll drive the route from here to Storybrooke to look for her car. I'm positive he won't find anything." Although her voice didn't sound as certain.

"I'm sorry Mary Margaret. I don't mean to get so emotional, you shouldn't have to talk me down at a time like this."

"It's alright Regina. We both love her. I'm sure we'll find her. I'm going to call her office to see if she's just on a case. David said that he will come and see you when he gets to Storybrooke but I'm betting she will turn up before he gets there."

Regina wasn't convinced but she held her tongue as she ended the call. Henry had fallen asleep and Regina hoped that Emma would be there when he woke up.

"Why don't you sit down dearie." Gold had already backed her down the stairs and he was pointing to the cot with the barrel of his pistol. "You might as well get comfortable, because you're going to be here for a long time." His grin sent a shiver down Emma's spine and his wild eyes told her that she should probably does as he says, for now.

"I thought you were dead." Her voice was calm as she stared at the man pointing the gun at her. Her training as an agent taught her how to communicate in situations like this, when you're being held at gunpoint by a psychopath. She had to keep him calm, and in order to do that she had to first keep herself calm.

"Well it seems that the rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated." He grinned again and Emma really wanted to wipe that arrogant smile right off his face but instead she held her temper.

"Why am I here?"

There was no humor in his chuckle or his eyes. "To suffer dearie. To suffer." Emma used all her strength to suppress the shiver that ran through her body. "You deserve to suffer for all the pain you have caused me. You, your precious Regina, and my bitch of a wife Cora. You all ruined my life and for that I will have my revenge."

Emma weighed her options, she could charge him and possibly get the gun from him although he might get a shot off before she got to him. Her decision was made for her when she heard someone coming down the stairs. She wasn't going to be able to fight her way out now. With a hostile glare, Emma watched as the woman with the flat tire came to a stop next to Gold.

"Well well well, if it isn't our little damsel in distress. Got that tire fixed then?" She growled.

"Where are my manners? Emma this is an old friend of mine, Cruella DeVille." The tall thin woman was dressed in a garish polka dot dress that Emma found completely insane.

"Charmed Emma darling." The woman spoke with an affected accent and carried herself as if she was the Queen of England. "I've heard so much about you."

"Yeah, well the pleasure's all yours."

"Now that the pleasantries have been taken care of we can discuss your future." Gold was eyeing Emma like a wolf stalking a wounded rabbit. "I mean to destroy you and your future."

Emma's eyebrows raised in confusion. "And just how do you plan on doing that? Torture me? If you wanted to kill me then you could have done that by now instead of doing this whole James Bond villain thing you're doing."

"No, I'm not going to kill you." Gold chuckled roughly. "No, when I'm done with you, you are going to wish you were dead."

Cora didn't deserve Victoria Belfrey, and she knew it. Victoria was a successful businesswoman and underneath her no nonsense armor that she wore in public, she was a good person with a genuinely good heart. She was the polar opposite of Cora, at least that was what Cora believed. It was some kind of miracle that brought Victoria to the truck stop about ten miles away from Storybrooke on the night that Regina had sent her own mother away. Cora had managed to avoid the police and walk for what felt like forever on her bare feet to the truck stop. Exhausted, filthy, and wearing an evening gown, Cora looked horrendous. She had managed to fend off the many truckers who propositioned her, but as the hours passed and her hunger grew her resolve was fading and she was close to agreeing to getting into one of the dirty trucker's cab in exchange for a cup of coffee and something to eat.

Then like an angel dressed in Gucci, Victoria Belfrey arrived to gas up her Jaguar. Victoria saw the desperate woman and offered to buy her something to eat inside. Just twenty four hours before, Cora's stomach would have turned at the thought of eating at a greasy spoon but right then the place looked like one of the finest restaurants in the world to her. The kindness of the stranger nearly brought Cora to tears and she gratefully accepted.

Victoria spoke to Cora as if they were old friends just chit chatting about frivolous things like the weather and current events. She never broached the subject of Cora's haggard appearance or why she was there in the truckstop in the first place. After Cora had finished her meal of barely passable meatloaf and mashed potatoes, Victoria insisted that Cora come home with her.

A luxury penthouse apartment in Boston, a warm bath, and fresh clothes swept Cora into dreamland and she slept well past noon the next day. She awoke the next day in unfamiliar surroundings and for a moment she believed that perhaps her wasted life had only been a long nightmare. It was not a nightmare, however, it was reality.

Cora's own self hate and lust for power had corrupted her very soul. She had tormented, manipulated and abused her own daughter for years. She didn't deserve forgiveness. She didn't deserve Victoria Belfrey, and she knew it. After Cora left the guest bedroom she was greeted with the aroma of expensive coffee and an elegantly attractive Victoria. Wearing a black blazer and a red blouse with one extra button undone allowing for a dangerous display of her chest. Black slacks with red heels moved towards Cora as Victoria handed her a steaming mug. She accepted it gratefully, still astonished at the other woman's generosity. They both shared a silent sip of the tasty brew and Cora felt heat from both the coffee and herself under the scrutiny of the other woman. A long uncomfortable minute passed before Victoria finally spoke.

"So what's your story?"

So Cora told her. Everything.

"Regina, David's here." Ruby led Emma's father into her living room where Regina was sitting nervously, legs crossed at her ankles and her hands anxiously fidgeting in her lap. She gave him a shaky smile and he returned it with one of his own.

"Where's my handsome grandson?" David asked, attempting to lighten the dark mood of the room.

Regina attempted to play along with the light smally talk. "He's sleeping, but I'm sure he'll be up soon. He's going to love seeing his grandpa." David smiled as he sat next to her and placed a comforting hand on hers.

"I couldn't find her Regina." He watched as the hope fled from the woman's eyes that suddenly flooded with tears. "But that doesn't mean I won't. Regina, we can't give up hope."

She sniffled and tried to blink back the tears that threatened to escape down her cheeks. "Of course you're right." She cocked her head to the side as she looked at him. "David? Is there something else?"

He blew out a long breath before he spoke. "We called her office and they told us she wasn't working a case and that they hadn't heard from her either." Regina nodded, feeling her heart sink lower.

"I can see that you have something else to say." She watched as his eyes tried to find anywhere to look at but her. "Please David. Tell me."

"They also told me that there was an attempt made on agent French's life in Paris. Her fiance was killed."

Regina's eyes widened. "She was the woman who was here when…" She couldn't finish the sentence as her throat began to close. David nodded slowly.

"Exactly. They never found his body."

Ruby had been watching silently from the corner and now she wrapped her arms around herself, rubbing her hands up and down. Suddenly it felt like the temperature of the room had dropped ten degrees.


	28. Chapter 28

**Trigger warning! This chapter contains drug use and dark themes.**

She wanted to resist eating, but after twelve hours in the cellar and not having eaten since the day before, she had finally succumbed. Gold had provided her with a bowl of chicken broth and crackers so Emma attacked them with ferocity. But the soup had tasted off and after an hour she began to grow drowsy. As her eyes drooped closed, she cursed the man and his warped mind.

A sharp sting in her arm snapped her awake and she found herself looking into the cold eyes of Cruella who was grinning at her. She spotted the syringe in the woman's hand and looked over Cruella's shoulder at Robert Gold who had his gun pointed at her.

"What did you give me you bastard?" Emma growled.

Gold chuckled at her and lowered the gun to his side as Cruella backed away until she stood behind him. "A gift dearie." Emma's eyes narrowed at him before she felt a fire spread up her arm. "A little product I had left over, something to begin your transformation."

It hit her like a freight train and despite her situation, Emma smiled. Her eyes became hooded and she felt an intense pleasure that she had never felt before in her life. Her body and mind felt like they were floating. A part of her, a part that was fading rapidly, fought against the ecstasy that began to engulf her in waves.

"W-why?" Her voice sounded so far away to her. The ability to focus on Gold and his response slipped through her consciousness like water through her fingers. Gold smuggly regarded her and her current condition with pride.

"I told you dearie. I mean to destroy you as you have destroyed my life." The hatred he felt burning inside him was clearly evident in his voice as he spit out his answer. "The virtuous federal agent Emma Swan Nolan, brought down by her drug addiction. I intend to turn you into a junkie and an outcast. The life you knew before is now over." He reached down and patted her arm in a gesture of contempt. "Welcome to your new life dearie."

For the life of her, Emma could not bring herself to care about what Gold was saying. All she cared about at the moment was how good she felt, and how she wanted to feel that way forever.

Frantic phone calls from Storybrooke to Boston to New York in multiple combinations had finally ended as the evening matured. Emotionally and mentally exhausted, Regina had finally retired to Ruby's guest bedroom which had unofficially become her's. Ruby had spent an abbreviated work day managing her diner so she could return home and offer help and support to David and Regina. David had scoured Storybrooke for any kind of clue, witness or rumor about Emma's disappearance while Regina had used her mayoral office to contact law enforcement agencies all over the northeast region of the country. By nightfall all federal and most local law enforcement agencies were on alert for the missing FBI agent.

It was obvious that Regina was at her wits end and needed help with taking care of Henry. It was David who came up with the idea of bringing Mary Margaret up from Boston to assist the distraught mother. He was preparing to leave to do just that when Ruby stopped him.

"Do you really think that Gold has her?" Her voice was quiet, in part so she wouldn't be accidentally overheard by Regina, but also because she was afraid to hear his answer.

There was a grim look in his eyes as David answered her. "Emma wouldn't just vanish like this without a trace, someone got to her. My money is on that bastard Gold." Ruby shook her head in worry.

"I just can't believe this is actually happening. Do-do you think that he would…?" She couldn't bring herself to even say her fear aloud, however David understood what she meant.

"No. I don't think he would kill her. Gold is too twisted for that. He wants her to suffer, and by extension he wants Regina to suffer. No, I think he's holding her somewhere." He placed a hand on her shoulder. "And we'll find her."

She nodded but kept her question to herself. The question that frightened her to her core. _How?_

It was early morning when Cora Mills finally dragged herself into the small studio apartment she had found. The rent for it was far too much for the amount of space it provided, but it was Boston and she knew that she was lucky to have it. She could have just as easily been living on the street, if not for her benefactor. As if summoned by thought, her cell phone buzzed and the caller ID flashed the name of her guardian angel. Victoria.

Cora smiled at the display and shook her head in awe, again unsure at the reason why fate had brought this woman into her life after all of the awful things she had done over the years. "Hello Victoria." Cora said softly into the phone.

"I trust you made it home safely dear." Cora sighed at the other woman's voice, it was the same thing Victoria always said when Cora had finished her shift. Victoria was always worried about Cora traveling through the city late at night.

"I always do." Cora said softly as she sat on her futon and removed her hideous work shoes and rubbed her aching feet. She heard Victoria exhale and smiled. "I know you worry dear, but I can handle myself."

"I do wish you would reconsider my offer Cora." Cora rubbed her temple with her hand, they had had this conversation before and Cora's position had not changed. "You don't need to work there doing a job you hate and you don't need to live in an apartment that you detest."

"Victoria.." Cora began but was quickly cut off on the other end of the line.

"Cora, please." Her voice was gentle and full of compassion. "You could live here with me."

"I know that dear. But you know I can't." Cora had been a woman of affluence most of her adult life and she knew it had ruined her. Her greed and ambition had cost her everything, and not just her money and status. It had cost her her daughter.

"Cora, you don't have to keep punishing yourself like this."

But Cora Mills felt differently, this was her penance for her sins. "I must Victoria." She heard the other woman sigh in resignation.

"Will I at least see you tonight?" Victoria asked and Cora smiled into the phone.

"Of course my dear."

Regina turned onto her back and stared at the ceiling. She should be asleep, she refused to look at the time, her phone was on the nightstand just a foot away. She resisted the urge to pick it up and check it, she must have been like this for at least two hours now, unable to close her eyes. Her mind was tired, her body was tired, even her spirit was tired, but sleep would not come.

"Emma, where are you?" Her voice was shaky and quiet, she didn't want to wake Henry who was sleeping in his crib just across the bedroom. Her thoughts raced and bounced around her head almost painfully. Was she hurt? Was she alive? Was she afraid? Each thought felt like a dagger through her heart. Her eyes were bone dry and stung from crying so much, she had been trying to be strong in front of David and Ruby. And she would not do anything but smile in front of Henry, she would absolutely not upset their child. He had no idea that his other mother was missing and he did not need to now.

Would he even have memories of her if…? She couldn't finish the thought, she won't even entertain the possibility that they would never see Emma again. She broke down and snatched her phone off the nightstand and looked at the display. It was two o'clock and she couldn't sleep. She knew that she wouldn't fall asleep either. So she continued to lay there, staring at the ceiling.

"You could stay." Victoria propped her head up on her pillow and looked down at the dark eyes of her lover. "You know that right?"

Cora hummed softly to herself and entertained the thought for just a moment. How easy it would be just to stay between these silk sheets, wrapped in the arms of her lover with the television playing softly in the background. But she shook her head no. "I can't Vicky."

Victoria pouted and traced a circle on Cora's exposed shoulder. "Can't or won't?"

"Vicky, I just-" Cora sighed again but a familiar face flashed on the periphery of her vision that demanded her attention. "Oh my God!" She shot upright, startling Victoria.

"Cora? What is it?"

"The television! Turn it up Vicky!" Victoria grabbed the remote control off the nightstand and adjusted the volume until the news report became clear.

"... as the search continues for FBI agent Emma Nolan authorities believe that her disappearance may be connected with an incident earlier this year involving a major drug kingpin named Robert Gold.." Cora's hand flew to her mouth.

"Is that the woman you told me about? The one your daughter…?" Victoria had been looking at the screen but she turned and saw Cora's face had grown ashen. "Cora?"

"He's alive." Her voice was a mix of shock and fear.

"Cora, you have to call her." Victoria watched as Cora slowly came back to whatever place she had gone to in her mind. Their eyes met and Victoria took Cora's hand and held it. "You have to call your daughter."


	29. Chapter 29

"I found you, you bitch." Belle French growled at the image on the computer screen. She had poured over all of the footage she could find from the area where the explosion occurred. The place where he had been-she couldn't, wouldn't let herself finish the thought. She would deal with the grief later, for now she was focused on finding those responsible. With the frozen video on the screen in front of her she believed she had.

Humans react in predictable ways when they are startled by a catastrophic event. By instinct they will freeze, they will run away, or they will investigate, but there will be an immediate reaction of some kind. Unless the person knew what was coming beforehand. The split second after the explosion she had watched the people nearby reacting instantly. There was one camera that had captured an image of a woman calmly walking away in the opposite direction, completely unfazed by what had just happened. It wasn't a clear image at all, grainy and too far away, but the woman's hair was striking. She was the one, Belle was certain of it. Now the task had been to identify the silver and black haired woman. After pouring over databases she had finally matched the fuzzy image on the video to a clear photograph of a woman standing next to none other than Robert Gold. The picture had been taken from a distance but the similarity could not be ignored. Will had been murdered by Cruella DeVille, and Belle would find her and Gold and make them pay.

The food was drugged, she knew that, but was the water drugged too? She could go for a while without eating but she needed the water if she was going to fight her way out. She decided that she would have to risk it. So far Gold had drugged her twice but she still felt in control of herself. But she knew that wouldn't be the case for much longer. Emma had to take advantage of the first opportunity that presented itself.

Except for when they fed her or drugged her, Cruella and Gold left her alone in the basement. It was bare except for a small cot she slept on, a portable toilet and a wooden chair. A plan began to form in her mind, and she hoped that it was Cruella who would be coming down next. Half the time it was just Cruella coming down alone, the other times it would be both of them together. Gold never came down alone.

After what felt like an hour, Emma heard the activity near the top of the stairs that meant someone was coming down. She took her place inside the portable toilet and closed the door. She listened as someone descended the stairs. Emma began making retching sounds.

"That sounds disgusting." It was Cruella's voice, Emma thanked whoever was listening to her prayers that it wasn't Gold. "If you make a mess in there I'm not cleaning it up." Emma took a deep breath and counted to three then she used her shoulder and shoved the door open as hard as she could. The door hit Cruella hard and sent her flying backwards. Emma pounced on her like a rabid dog. She punched and punched and punched until her knuckles were burning with pain. She looked and saw the pummeled mess that used to be Cruella DeVille's face.

Emma had heard the metallic clatter when she hit Cruella with the door so she looked frantically on the floor of the basement. Finally she spotted the gun under the cot and scrambled off the unconscious woman to retrieve it. Emma sprang to her feet and pointed the pistol at her captor. Her shaking finger hovered over the trigger and she bit hard on her bottom lip.

She deserved it. She had held her hostage. She drugged her. It would be easier to escape if Emma just killed her. If Cruella was dead then Gold would not have help to track her. Just pull the trigger Emma. Pull the trigger. Pull it!

"No." She whispered to herself. She wouldn't become a murderer and that's what this would be, cold blooded murder. She put the gun in the waistband of her pants and grabbed Cruella by her armpits and dragged her into the portable toilet. She propped her up and then closed the door. She then grabbed the chair and used it to jam the door shut. Taking a second to make sure that the door was secure she then turned and bolted up the stairs.

Mary Margaret cradled a cooing Henry in her arms as she began to brew the first pot of the morning. She smiled down at her grandson for his confused look. "You have all kinds of energy when _you_ wake up little guy." She reached for a clean mug and places it on the counter. "But us grown ups need a little help." Seemingly satisfied with her explanation, Henry busied himself attempting to put his tiny fist in his mouth.

She thought about waking Regina, it was half past nine in the morning, but then she decided against it. The woman had been sleeping maybe two hours a night and it was beginning to show. The mayor looked terrible, her eyes were sunken and her usually healthy looking skin now looked tired and grey. Her raven colored hair was dull and flat and her shoulders seemed rounded in defeat as she walked.

Mary Margaret didn't blame her, Regina had been through a lot in her life and had a dim view of hope. Mary Margaret on the other hand saw everything her family had been put through and concluded that they could withstand anything. From her paralysis to David's coma and how they overcame those obstacles she had full confidence that things would work out and they would find Emma safe and alive. Emma was the strongest person that Mary Margaret knew and she was so proud of the woman her daughter had grown up to be. She knew that wherever Emma was that she was fighting hard to get back home.

Just then there was a knock at the door causing Mary Margaret to frown at the gurgling baby in her arms. "Who could that be?" She rolled to the front door and opened it to see two women standing outside. One woman was a tall and elegant woman she had never seen before. The other was a woman who Mary Margaret thought she would never see again.

"Mary Margaret, may I come in?" Cora Mills asked.

 **A/N: Sorry about the long time between updates. I am working on the second novel in my King & Moretti series (the first one is on sale on Amazon right now! King & Moretti Partners) But anyway, writing that has now become my primary objective so updating this story might take longer than it used to. But I haven't abandoned it and I am close to the end. Thanks for sticking with the story! **


	30. Chapter 30

"Oh! Cora! I-I uh." Mary Margaret's mind couldn't come up with the words fast enough to make the sounds coming out of her mouth make sense. She hadn't been in Storybrooke the night everything went down but she knew that Cora Mills had fled as a fugitive of the law. Now she was standing in the doorway of Ruby's home with another woman and Mary Margaret had no idea what to do.

"May we come in?" The other woman asked politely and Mary Margaret nodded absently and rolled her chair back allowing them to enter. "I'm Victoria Belfrey." The woman's kind smile was disarming and Mary Margaret couldn't help but be charmed by her. After a moment she cleared her head and frowned at Cora.

"You shouldn't be here Cora. You're still a fugitive you know."

"I know Mary Margaret, just by being here I am risking my freedom. But I had to come and try to atone for all that I have done to my daughter."

Mary Margaret's face twisted in suspicion as she regarded the other woman. "You need to atone for things you did to other people too Cora." She couldn't help the rancor that seeped into her tone. Cora seemed to deflate before her eyes as she sighed.

"I have hurt a great many people in my life and I don't expect forgiveness from anyone, but I do want to help."

Mary Margaret raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "Help with what exactly?"

"Yes _mother._ Help with what?" Three heads turned to the sound of a voice filled with anger and contempt. Regina stood at the top of the stairs, her eyes aflame and her arms crossed in front of her.

"Hello Regina." Cora's voice was polite and measured. "You look well."

Regina was not having any of it.

"You have a lot of nerve coming here." Her voice was like daggers flying at Cora. "Especially at a time like this." A brief look of surprised realization flashed on her face as if a light bulb had gone off over her head. "If you had something to do with Emma's disappearance, I swear to God I will-"

Cora cut her daughter off. "I would never do anything like that to you again Regina." For a moment Regina thought she heard hurt in her mother's voice but quickly discarded the thought.

"Save it mother. You don't care about me, you never have. The only person you have ever given a damn about is yourself."

"That's not true!" Cora had tears in her eyes as she saw the hate in Regina's face. How could she have tortured her own daughter so? "I have changed Regina." Her voice was soft and defeated.

Regina chuckled dryly. "I'm supposed to take your word for it? Please, you lost any credibility with me years ago."

Victoria placed a comforting hand on Cora's arm. "Then take my word for it. Your mother has changed."

As if seeing her for the first time, Regina scowled at her. "Excuse me? Who the Hell are you?"

Victoria smiled and seemed to inflate with pride. "My name is Victoria Belfry and I am in love with your mother."

Regina's jaw dropped and her mouth hung open. "You're _what_ now?"

Belle sped along the state road toward Storybrooke. The road was deserted and she was able to speed without the worry of oncoming traffic. She was nearing the town line when she saw a woman dart out of the treeline and into the street in front of her. She stomped her foot hard on the break and jerked the wheel to the side to avoid hitting the woman but she lost control of the vehicle. She saw the sign that read _Welcome to Storybrooke_ fill her windshield before she slammed hard into it.

Emma had reached the road and in her adrenalized state she had not checked for oncoming cars. When she saw the car barreling towards her she involuntarily froze like a deer. She watched in horror as the car crashed into the sign. Instinctively she went to help the driver and never even entertained the idea of leaving whoever it was in need when she herself was in danger of being caught. That was not the kind of person she was, she would offer help automatically without giving thought to her own predicament.

She quickly approached the car and through the broken glass of the windshield and the bloody red hair, she recognized Interpol agent Belle French. "Shit!" She gingerly checked for a pulse and was relieved to find a strong and steady one. It appeared that it looked a lot worse than it actually was, Belle was knocked out but wasn't seriously injured. Emma checked Belle's neck and was reasonably confident that it wasn't broken. She opened the door and began to slowly pull her out of the smashed car. Just as she had gotten the slumping woman out, she heard the sound of barking getting closer. "Shit." The dogs were definitely coming her way and she knew that Cruella would be right behind them. She scanned the road, the treeline, there was no way she was going to be able to run or hide with Belle in tow. She scrambled onto the top of the car and pulled Belle up with her. No sooner than she had gotten Belle onto the roof, she saw three big German Shepards burst out of the trees and barrel towards her and the wrecked automobile. In an instant they were around the car barking wildly at her and trying to climb on top to get to them.

"Agent Nolan?" Belle was coming to and her crackly voice and confused tone brought Emma's attention away from the vicious dogs below for a moment.

"Belle! Thank God you're okay!" Emma grinned momentarily before her faced turned grim. "We seem to be in a tight spot right now."

Belle blinked towards the growling dogs that surrounded them. "I should say so." She agreed and then handed her pistol over to Emma. "I'm seeing double. You'll have to shoot." Emma grimaced.

"I don't want to kill a bunch of dogs." But she knew that she might not have a choice, who knew how close Cruella was. "Maybe if I fire in the air they'll get scared and run away." She was bargaining and she knew it, she loved animals but it was becoming clear that it was either the dogs or the two of them. She closed her eyes for a moment and then aimed the gun at one of the dogs. She began to squeeze the trigger when she heard a loud cry from across the road.

"Don't hurt my dogs!" Both Belle and Emma looked and saw the bloody and swollen face of Cruella twisted in rage and a gun pointed at them. Instantly the dogs ran to their master and sat dutifully at her side. "Put the gun down!"

"You put yours down! I bet my aim is better because my eyes aren't swollen shut!"

"I'm going to kill you!" Cruella shouted in frustration. Belle tried to focus her blurry vision on the woman across the road, she couldn't make out her face but she was able to identify the unusual hair color.

"It's you." Belle growled and then increased her volume so Cruella could hear. "You killed Will!" Emma was confused but she didn't dare take her eyes off Cruella.

"You must be Belle French." Cruella's voice was haughty and cruel. "That bomb was for you, not for this _Will_ person." Cruella shrugged. "Sorry." If Belle could see straight right now she would have killed the woman right then.

"Drop your gun Cruella." Emma growled. "I guarantee you that I am a much better shot than you are." The barrel of her gun was as still as a stone and locked onto Cruella. The battered woman thought about what would happen if she got into a gunfight with the FBI agent right then. Emma grinned as she saw the conflict play out on the bloody face of her former captor. Slowly Cruella's gun lowered to her side and she placed it on the ground in front of her. "Now kick it away and keep those dogs back." Emma began to climb down from the roof of the car all the while keeping the gun on Cruella. She watched warily as the dogs seemed to sense the shift in power of the situation and stayed still at their owner's side. "Now get on the ground, on your stomach."

As Cruella sank to her knees Emma saw the woman's eyes glance over her shoulder behind her. Puzzled, Emma decided to chance a quick peek over to where Cruella glanced.

"Belle! Look out!" But Emma was too late. Gold was behind the Interpol agent and had his gun aimed at her head. The man's evil grin made Emma's heart sink.

"My my Cruella." Gold chuckled maliciously. "It seems your dogs have fetched a few strays. Lovely." Although she still held the gun in her hand Emma felt a wave of despair fall over her.

She had almost escaped and now Gold had appeared as if by magic to catch her. She just wanted to get back to her family. She wanted to see her baby again. She wanted to see Regina. She wondered if she would ever see the beautiful brunette again. She kicked herself mentally for pulling away from her recently. How could she let fear of rejection keep her away from Regina? She loved her with all her heart, she had always loved her, and now that she had the chance to be with her she had gotten cold feet. Now she may never have that chance again. She vowed in that moment that if she got out of this situation that she would never leave Regina's side again.

"Now put the gun down agent Nolan or I will kill this bitch." Gold's voice was calm and yet menacing all at once. Emma knew he meant it, but she also knew that she couldn't let them take the gun. This might be the last time she could escape and she was not about to let the opportunity slip away. She had to think of some way out, but for the life of her she couldn't see how they would get out of this.

Everyone's attention was drawn to the sound of squealing tires screeching to a stop. Out of the Storybrooke squad car popped her father with his weapon drawn and his body shielded by the car door. "Guns down! Now!" Her father's voice was loud and strong and Emma felt just like she did when she was a little girl and her father would come into her room to soothe her crying during a thunderstorm. She was going to make it.

"Dad!" Emma felt like crying for joy but she held herself together. For his part, David never took his eyes of Cruella or Gold but he did acknowledge her.

"Hey sweetie, it's okay. Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine dad."

Gold was furious, this family continued to ruin his plans no matter what he did. He squeezed Belle tighter as he began to back up into the woods where he came, dragging her with him. David noticed the movement.

"Stay right there Gold! You're not going anywhere!"

Gold smirked. "I'm afraid I can't stay for this family reunion sheriff, but I assure you that we will see each other again." He looked over to Cruella and winked. "Sorry about the dogs dearie." Cruella's face fell.

"No! Don't do it!" She pleaded to Gold.

"Attack!" Gold shouted and the dogs instantly leapt to their feet and bolted towards David.

"Dad!" Emma shouted in fear for her father who climbed back into his squad car and shut the door. No one paid any attention to Gold who slunk back into the woods dragging a woozy Belle with him. The dogs viciously clawed at the patrol car's door and both Emma and David saw that the dogs had blood on their minds. Emma pointed her gun at one of the dogs.

"No!" Cruella shouted and shot at Emma. The blonde heard the bullet whiz above her head and reflexively aimed at Cruella and pulled the trigger. The bullet struck Cruella in the chest and she fell to the ground. Noticing that their master had fallen the dogs turned from the car and trotted back to her lifeless body, whimpering and licking her. David hopped out of the car and raced to Emma's side.

"Come on! I'm getting you out of here!" He began pulling her down from the car.

"What about Gold? He has Belle!" She was beginning to resist her father once she remembered the abducted agent but David shook his head.

"We'll find them honey, don't worry. But for now I am getting you out of here." He was her father and she recognized his tone of voice. There was no argument, he was going to protect his daughter first, no matter what. She gave up resisting and allowed him to quickly lead her to the car. They both got in and sped away leaving the dogs to howl over Cruella DeVille's body.

 **I am sooo sorry for the long wait between updates! I had been dealing with some depression due to things that had to do with my writing and a few personal things. But now I am starting to see the light again and get my writing groove back. I am currently halfway through the first draft of my second book in the King & Moretti series so that will still take priority in my writing. But I will not give up on this story and I will try to get back in the habit of updating more regularly. We are getting near the end and I promise we will get to some SwanQueen stuff soon! Thank you guys for sticking with me and again I apologise for the wait. **


	31. Chapter 31

The squad car raced down the country road toward Storybrooke and inside Emma was trying to cope with what was happening. She had escaped, she was with her father, she was going home to Regina and Henry. Home.

"Are you okay? Did they hurt you? We've been looking everywhere for you? Where were you? How did you get away?" Her father was hitting her with a barrage of questions and her mind wasn't able to process the questions right then. She held up her hands to stop him.

"Whoa, I'm okay Dad." She turned to look at his worried face as he alternated his attention back and forth between her and the road. Her eyes were rapidly filling up with tears as her emotions started to catch up to her situation. "I'm so happy you found me. I was worried I would never see you and mom again" Her father turned to her and she saw the fear and the relief on his face as he reached out with his right arm and grasped her shoulder tenderly.

"That was never going to happen Emma. I was going to search the entire planet inch by inch until I found you. You're my baby girl and I will always find you."

Emma's heart burst with love for her father just then and for the first time in days she felt safe. The kind of safety a child had when they were with their parent. But she knew she couldn't rely on her father alone, she needed to take her safety in her own hands and finish this. Her chain of thought was interrupted by her father hitting the steering wheel angrily with his palms.

"Gold!" His angry shout blasted around the inside of the car. "I can't believe that fucker is still alive! I can't believe he fucking kidnapped you!" Emma's eyebrows raised up her forehead, she knew her father was no saint but she had never heard him swear like that before. "I'm going to kill that bastard." His voice was quiet and filled with rage and Emma understood where that anger came from.

"Not if I kill him first." She looked out the window at nothing as the trees rushed by. David turned to glance at his daughter and his chest hurt as he watched his child hurt so much that she was willing to kill. He vowed to himself that somehow this would all end tonight.

"Just how do you think you can help us find Emma mother?" Regina had her arms crossed and her fingers were pressing hard into her biceps. "Not that I trust a word coming out of your mouth." Cora looked heartbroken as her daughter spoke with such disgust in her voice, although she knew that Regina had every right to feel that way.

"Your mother has changed Regina." Victoria pleaded to her lover's daughter. "She knows now how horrible she had been to others and to you in particular. She wants to make amends to you now. Please believe her." Regina kept her eyes on her mother, hardly hearing the other woman.

"Speak then mother. Tell us what you know."

Cora gave a small smile to her daughter. "Robert has many secret properties around Storybrooke that he bought through shell corporations. I know where they are and he must have taken Emma to one of them."

Hope began to smolder in Regina's heart for the first time since Emma had disappeared. In her darkest moments when her faith was at its lowest she had begun to believe that they would never find her. For the rest of her life Regina would be waiting for the day that a door would open and Emma would walk through it. She had feared that day would never come. Now there was the possibility that they would find her.

Could she dare to hope that they could one day be reunited? Was that too much to ask of fate? Where the two of them destined to never be together? So many times they had been denied the opportunity, so many years wasted that could have been spent in each other's arms.

"We'll search every last hole in the ground until we find my daughter." Mary Margaret spoke with conviction. "Gold will finally be brought to justice for his crimes." Regina nodded her agreement and was just about to speak when the scream of a siren reached them from outside.

"Why is David using the siren?" Mary Margaret wondered aloud as they all made their way to the front door. Regina opened it and the saw the Storybrooke sheriff's squad car screech to a halt in front of Ruby's home. Regina was the last one outside and so her vision was blocked by Cora and Victoria. She noticed the silence that had descended on the other women around her as they were all frozen in place on the porch.

"What in the world is everyone staring at?" She was growing irritated as she shouldered her way in front to see what had everyone so mesmerized. The frown on her face fell away instantly and was replaced by shock. Standing on the walkway just a few yards away stood a disheveled and exhausted looking Emma rocking on her heels with her hands shoved into her back pockets.

"Hi."

"Emma?" Regina's voice cracked with emotion and after she spoke it felt like her throat closed up. Her head was swimming and she felt like she was going to faint. Emma was _here_ and she was _alive_. _Her_ Emma.

Thin lips curled into an adorable grin as hazel green eyes sparkled. "That's my name."

Emma watched as high heeled legs seemed to be slowly breaking free from concrete as Regina inched forward slowly towards her. Regina slowly stretched out her shaking hand, as if she was afraid to touch Emma, like she would scare her away. Soon her feet began to pick up speed and soon she was running to the blonde. Emma pulled her into her arms and lifted her into the air, spinning them in a small circle before setting her softly back on the ground. They melted together in each other's arms each one feeling at home in the other's embrace.

Emma inhaled deeply and lost herself in Regina's shampoo and perfume. She smelled like heaven to Emma and she hummed happily into her neck. She pulled back suddenly as she realized that she probably had a different kind of smell. Regina looked confused at her actions.

"Emma? What's wrong?"

Emma turned red in embarrassment. "I stink." Regina laughed as she pulled Emma back into her arms again.

"I don't care Emma." Emma felt wetness on her cheeks from Regina's tears of joy. "I don't care one bit."

Emma held Regina's face in her hands and looked deeply into chocolate eyes that were slightly red and puffy from crying. "I am so sorry Regina." She saw the confusion flash in the brunette's eyes. "I have pulled away from you and Henry because I was scared. Scared that we wouldn't live up to my dreams of what it was supposed to be like with us being together." Regina started to speak but Emma placed a finger on the perfectly painted lips with the endearing scar. "But now I see how stupid I've been Regina. I love you so much. So much that my dreams and fears about us don't even matter anymore. Reality is the only thing that matters with us, and the reality is that I want to be with you forever. If you'll have me."

Regina saw the slight downturn of Emma's lips as she finished talking. She was taken aback by Emma's words. Did she actually believe that Regina didn't want her? Did she think that there was any way that Regina would turn her away? She had loved her for as long as she remembered and couldn't imagine loving anyone else. Regina searched her mind to find the words to tell her how much she meant to her and decided on seven words to express her love and devotion.

"Shut up and kiss me you idiot." And she did.


	32. Chapter 32

David and Mary Margaret sat across from Cora and Victoria and the tension in the air was thick. David's arms were crossed in front of his chest and his stare was burning a hole through Cora. Victoria's eyes shot back and forth between them, finally she couldn't take it anymore.

"I know that there is a past between all of you that is a bit tragic." She began and David laughed humourlessly.

"That's an understatement."

Victoria nodded sadly. "Yes, but I believe we can deal with mistakes of the past…"

"Her mistakes!" David interrupted and Mary Margaret put a hand on his shoulder.

"David, this won't help Belle." He deflated slightly as he turned to his wife.

"Yes, the main thing to focus on right now is finding this woman before he does something to her." Victoria's voice was calm as she continued to try and relieve the tension. David nodded in agreement.

"Okay Cora, tell us where he is." David demanded as Cora cleared her throat.

"Robert had many hidden properties around Storybrooke." She smirked. "Well hidden from everyone but me. I know where they all are, he never could hide anything from me." Her expression turned serious again. "There was the cabin that he was holding Emma." David felt his wife tense when Cora mentioned her daughter being kidnapped and he patted her hand to comfort her. "He also has an antique store in town with a backroom. I doubt he would be there though, too public. He has a crypt in the cemetery where he used to hide cash before he laundered it. And there is a mine a few miles out of town."

"A mine?" David questioned.

"Yes, it's been abandoned for decades." Cora explained. "Robert picked it up cheap. If I had to bet where he would be hiding out I would pick that one."

David stood up. "Then that's where I'll start."

"You mean that's where _we'll_ start." Everyone turned to see Emma and Regina standing side by side. "You're not going alone Dad. Gold is too dangerous."

"And _you_ aren't going anywhere without me." Regina informed the blonde woman standing next to her. Emma's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"What? No! Regina you're not going, it's too dangerous."

Regina crossed her arms defiantly. "That's exactly why I'm going with you." Her face was a mask of determination. "I just got you back Emma. After everything we have been through I am never, and I mean never, letting you out of my sight again." Her dark chocolate eyes began to water. "I am not losing you Emma. Where you go, I go."

A lump formed in Emma's throat and she began to tear up as well. She looked at the brunette woman who had a look on her face that nearly broke her heart. Emma could see the worry and the sadness radiating from Regina. She knew that confronting Gold would be dangerous, he was like a cornered animal and his options were running out. But Emma also knew that Regina meant what she said and deep down Emma agreed. After just being reunited after she almost died, it would be unfair to put Regina through the possibility of losing her again.

Emma sighed. "Okay, you can come." Emma saw the relief wash over Regina just then. "But you are going to stay behind Dad and I and do everything we say. At the first sign of danger I want you to get away as fast as you can. No arguments." Regina nodded gratefully and Emma smiled.

"Now about Gold." Regina turned to face David. "I don't want him getting off on any legal technicalities. I want him to go down hard and see him rot in jail for life. So as mayor of Storybrooke, I am hereby appointing David Nolan as acting sheriff." Everyone stared in stunned silence. David seemed to grow taller from pride as Regina's words sank in.

"Thank you madam mayor." He smiled. "I will bring him in by the book." He turned to his daughter who was beaming with an ear to ear smile. "I could use some backup. Would you like to play deputy with your old man honey?"

"I'd be happy to Dad." Smiling brightly she turned to everyone else. "So what are we waiting for? Let's go get the bastard."

Belle French awoke with a pounding headache. Gold had hit her with his pistol to knock her out and she was sure he gave her a concussion. Her head felt wet and she assumed she was bleeding, she was also bound at her ankles and wrists. She was propped up against stone in what she saw was some type of cave. It was dark and she saw a portable electric lantern next to a large metal case in the center of the cavern. Something about the shape of the case gave her an uneasy feeling and she hoped that she was wrong about what was inside.

There was a scuffling sound of feet on dirt getting closer to her. She could see a shadowy figure of her captor limping toward her. "Agent French, you're awake." Robert Gold's accented and gravelly voice filled her with dread. "I'm so happy to see that I didn't hit you too hard. I would hate for you to miss the final act of our little play."

"What kind of play are you talking about you diseased little monster?" She spat back.

"Why the destruction of Storybrooke of course." His smile was cruel and filled with malice. "My final act of revenge against all who have wronged me here."

"So what do we know about this mine?" Emma asked as she sat beside Regina in the back seat of the patrol car as her father drove them to their destination.

"It's been abandoned for over fifty years over safety issues. The city has held the deed forever because no one had been interested in trying to redevelop it." Regina grimaced. "At least I _thought_ the city still owned it. Gold must have bought it up from under my nose."

Emma frowned and punched her fist into her palm. "He's not going to have much of a nose when I get through with him." Regina smirked and patted Emma's thigh.

"Easy there Rhonda Rousey. Remember, I want him in handcuffs so he can rot in a dark cell forever."

Emma sighed as she intertwined her fingers with Regina's. "Yeah you're right. I want him locked up too. But…" Emma winked. "I can't guarantee that he won't hit his head a few times on the door when we put him in the squad car."

"That's my girl." David said from the front seat and Regina chuckled. "We're coming up on the mine entrance now."

The two women looked each other in the eye and made a silent promise to each other to survive.

Belle had been working on her bindings but couldn't get enough friction to do any real damage on the ropes. Periodically Gold would leave her alone for a few minutes while he presumably went outside to check if anyone was coming. As she tried to escape she kept staring at the metal case. If it was what she feared it was then they were all in danger. Robert Gold had gone insane.

"God help us." Belle whispered.


	33. Chapter 33

No sooner had Emma closed the door on her father's truck did she hear the shoot ring out. "Get down!" She shouted as she drew her weapon, ducked down to use the truck for cover and scan the area that she thought the shot came from.

"Emma? You okay?" Her father's voice came from the other side of the truck and she hoped that he had enough cover for himself.

"I'm good Dad." She looked behind her to see Regina lying down on the ground. Her heart leapt up to her throat in fear until she saw Regina pop her head up. "Regina? You okay?"

Regina frowned in irritation. "Other than ruining this coat on the dirt, I'm perfectly fine." Emma shook her head as she marveled at the beautiful woman's calm demeanor, Regina surprised her everyday and she fell in love with her all over again.

"The shot came from the cave over there." She heard her father on the other side of the truck. "I don't have a clear shot. How about You Emma?" Emma peeked around the truck and looked in the direction of the cave. She saw a shadowy silhouette and fired a warning shot. The figure quickly darted back inside the cave and out of sight.

"Did you get him?" Regina asked, still lying on the ground behind her. Emma held her hand out and helped Regina to her feet.

"No." Emma looked her over to make sure that she was okay and then turned her attention to the cave. "He ran back in there." David made his way over to them on the other side of the truck.

"You two okay?" His look of concern was written all over his face.

Emma nodded. "We're fine dad, he didn't get us." Both law enforcement officers focused their attention on the cave opening. "We're going to have to go in there after him. And now we know he's armed." Emma turned back to Regina. "And that means you are staying right here."

Regina flushed in anger. "No. I'm not letting you go in there with that madman running loose!"

Emma held up her hand and gave Regina the sternest look she held in her arsenal. "Regina, I told you I am not letting you get anywhere near danger. You are staying here in the truck. If you hear shooting I want you to drive out of here and go home. I mean it. No argument."

Regina was shocked at how much authority she saw in Emma just then. She had never been ordered that way before and what shocked her even more was how turned on she became. "Okay." Her voice was husky all of a sudden. She reached out and touched Emma's arm. "But be careful. Please."

Emma turned to leave but Regina grabbed her arm and spun her around. Before Emma could say anything she was pulled onto the softest velvet lips she had ever felt. The kiss was far too short for either of their liking, just a quick peck, but it still made Emma's heart flutter.

"Come back to me." Regina breathed as their lips parted. Emma nodded and turned to follow her father into the cave, leaving Regina holding herself tightly by the truck as she watched the two Nolan's disappear inside.

Without having being told, Emma followed behind her father. She knew better to waste her time arguing with him to let her lead. There was no way he was going to allow that to happen. The inside of the cave was nearly pitch black in comparison to the sunny day outside and Emma immediately chided herself for not thinking to bring flashlights. They followed the main tunnel where it tuck a sharp turn and Emma looked behind to see that the light from the sun outside was now gone. She couldn't see her hand in front of her face anymore, much less see her father in front of her. Although she didn't think it was particularly smart, seeing as how they were trying to sneak up on Gold, she decided to see if her dad was still in front of her.

"Dad?" She whispered. "Are you there?"

"Yeah, honey. I'm right-" She heard a thump and then his voice was cut off.

"Dad!" Emma instinctively reached out for her father even though she couldn't see him. Then she was blinded by a white light so bright it gave her a pain in her head. Her eyes were slammed shut and she was disoriented and before she could even think about getting her bearings she felt a hand on her wrist and someone was trying to take her gun away. She struggled at first but then stopped when she felt a gun barrel press against her temple.

"Hand over the gun dearie." The gravelly voice hissed and she did what he asked.

As her eyesight began to return she could see that her father lay unconscious by her feet with blood coming from his head. She hoped with all her might that he was okay. Gold grabbed her roughly by the shoulder and pushed her into an open area that was lit with a lantern.

"Belle! You're alive!" Emma exclaimed when she saw the Interpol agent tied up. Belle nodded grimly.

"I'm glad you found me. I wish you had been more successful in your rescue however."

Gold pushed Emma down beside Belle. "Let's dispense with the pleasantries shall we? There simply isn't time for this small talk." He giggled menacingly. "Well, no time for you all at any rate."

"So this is your endgame Gold?" Emma growled defiantly. "Kill us all in this cave and then escape again?"

Gold chuckled again. "Oh you think too small dearie. I'm settling all my scores today. To you, to agent Belle, to your family, and to the whole miserable town of Storybrooke."

Emma's brow furrowed. "What do you mean 'the whole town'?" Gold pointed the gun toward Belle.

"Ms. French? Would you like to tell her what I'm talking about?" His grin was so dark that it made Emma shiver and turn to Belle who looked as white as a ghost.

"What's he talking about?" Emma's voice quivered a little.

"Do you see that case there?" Belle indicated the direction with a nod of her head and Emma saw the gray metallic container that was as big as steamer trunk. "That's a dirty bomb. He's going to use it to nuke the town."


	34. Chapter 34

"A nuke?" Emma's already pale face went two shades whiter as she stared at Belle with incredulity. She snapped her gaze to Gold when Belle nodded. "You not just a criminal." She growled in disgust. "You're a psychopathic killer!" Gold simply laughed at her.

"I'm only getting my revenge on those who have wronged me girl." He sneered.

"You're a monster! There are innocent people in Storybrooke! Families!" Emma spat.

Golds eyes grew dark. "There are no innocents in this world dearie."

Regina was tapping her expensive shoes nervously on the gravel near the truck. Her arms were folded and she had not taken her eyes off the mine opening since Emma and her father had gone inside. She hadn't heard gunfire so she felt confident that she was complying with Emma's demand. But she hadn't heard anything for minutes now and each passing second felt like a lifetime to her.

Finally she couldn't take it anymore. Regina felt that she would fly apart if she didn't go inside and find out what was happening inside. She couldn't go in empty handed though. She needed a weapon. She looked inside the bed of the truck and found a baseball bat.

"Perfect." She said to herself as she hefted the bat in her hands and walked slowly to the mine's entrance. She allowed her eyes to adjust as much as possible before going deep into the mine. Regina could make out voices up ahead, the low tone of Gold and the much higher Emma. Emma sounded upset and even though she was in trouble hearing her voice meant that she was alive and Regina felt like she could suddenly breathe again.

Quietly she moved forward on the ground, after her ankle buckled for the umpteenth time on the uneven dirt, she finally kicked off her Jimmy Choo's and continued on. She was beginning to be able to understand what was being said. Emma was calling Gold a monster and Regina smiled at her beloved's courage. Even in the face of danger Emma wasn't afraid to call a spade a spade.

She saw light up ahead and tried to move even more silent than she had been. Peeking carefully into the open area of the mine she took in the scene. Gold's back was to her and he was pointing his gun at Emma which made her throat clench.

Suddenly the years that Gold had tormented her, Emma, their family, and the whole town exploded from inside her. Gripping the bat's handle she pulled back and swung with everything she had.

"The only thing that I have yet to decide dearie." Gold was in the middle of gloating. "Should I kill you now? Or wait for the bomb to-" He was interrupted by the loud crack of the bat off his skull and he collapsed unconscious onto the dirt.

"Regina!" Emma's grin spread from ear to ear as she scrambled to her feet. She wrapped the slightly shorter brunette in her arms, lifted her up and swung her around in a circle. Regina could only laugh at being spun in the arms of her beloved.

"Emma! Put me down!" She laughed as Emma finally set her down. "You're making me dizzy!"

"I thought I told you to stay in the truck." Emma grinned and Regina gave her a scowl.

"I'm not a dog Emma, I don't stay just because you say so." Emma laughed and kissed Regina only to be interrupted seconds later.

"Um ladies?" Belle exclaimed from the ground. "I can appreciate the reunion, but a little help here?"

Emma and Regina broke apart and hurried to Belle to begin undoing her restraints. "Oh we're so sorry Belle! We were just-"

Belle gave them a grin and a wink. "No worries ladies. I'd just rather not be so close to that thing." She said as she pointed toward the bomb.

Emma nodded in agreement. "You're right, we have to get out of here and call the bomb squad."

Regina looked over to Gold's unconscious body. "As well as removing this piece of trash from our sight."

Belle made her way to the bomb and Emma saw the fear spread on her face. "What is it Belle?" Emma's stomach felt like it had dropped to the center of the Earth. "What's wrong?"

Belle's voice quivered as she looked to both women. "The timer is counting down!"

"What?!" Both women shouted at once. They both raced over to the case and looked inside. As Belle had said there was a digital display that was definitely counting down to zero.

"Oh shit! What do we do?" Emma asked no one in particular. "How much time do we have?"

"It says right there on the timer Emma!" Regina swatted her on the arm. "We have two minutes to get the hell out of here!" She started to pull Emma away but the blonde shook her off.

"We can't Regina! The town!" She looked to Belle in a panic. "Can you defuse it?"

Belle shook her head. "No! I don't know how!" She covered her face in her hands and then pulled them away and looked around the mine. "What kind of mine is this?"

Regina looked at her as if she had grown a second head. "It's a lead mine, what the hell difference does that make?"

Belle's face lifted with hope. "Lead is perfect! This can work!"

"Um, care to let us in on this Belle?" Emma asked.

"Lead will block the radiation! If we can find someplace deep enough then once the bomb goes off the town will be safe!"

"So we just need to get it somewhere deep in less than two minutes!" Emma threw her hands up in the air. "How are we going to do that?!" Emma and Belle traded panicked looks until they glanced at Regina and observed that she seemed to be deep in thought. "What is it Regina? Do you have a plan?" Emma pleaded with the last reserves of hope she could muster up.

"There is an elevator close to here and it goes down all the way to the bottom of the mine. We can use that!" Regina's answer erupted from her and the three women began to think that they might survive this after all. Emma looked around and began to assess their situation.

"Okay, we have to get my dad out of here and that thing down the elevator in…" She glanced at the bomb. "Oh shit! Ninety seconds! Regina, you and Belle drag my dad out and I'll take this thing to the elevator."

"Like hell I will!" Regina shot back. "Unless you turn into the Incredible Hulk when there's a bomb about to go off, you can't move this thing without help fast enough! I'm staying with you and that's final!" Emma opened her mouth to argue back but closed her thin lips together when she saw the vein on Regina's forehead, there was no use trying to fight her, she wasn't going anywhere.

"Okay Belle, I know you're still hurt but I'm begging you to get my father out of here! Can you do that?"

The Interpol agent nodded back. "You have my word Emma, I'll get your father out."

Regina's dark chocolate eyes met Emma's pale green. The words traveled silently between them. "I know." Emma whispered to her. "Now lift!" With strength they both pulled from deep inside them, they pulled the bomb off the ground. "Which way?"

"That way!" Regina indicated with her head and the women moved quickly down a corridor. Running on fear and adrenaline, the two came to the elevator and placed the bomb down by the closed doors. Regina tried the call button, she pressed it frantically until Emma grabbed her wrist.

"Regina! It's not working! We have to pry the gate open." The mine elevator was an old lift with a cage gate that opened from the bottom up. They slid their fingers underneath and started to lift. The gate was rusty and heavy but the two women were successful in raising the gate. "Okay let's throw it in."

"Is that safe? What if it goes off?"

"Regina, it will definitely go off up here if we don't throw it in! I'll chance it going off if we toss it down there."

Regina nodded. "Good point." The women gave each other a nod and lifted the bomb up and over into the shaft. Neither waited by the shaft as Emma grabbed Regina's hand and ran toward the outside. Once they rounded a corner Regina pulled them up short.

"Wait. Shouldn't there be a big boom by now?"

Emma was upset about stopping but then her face changed from frustration to curiosity in an instant. "You're right. Maybe we broke it?"

"Well, let's not stick around to find out! Let's go!" Regina turned and they both ran down the corridor of the mine and nearly plowed into Gold.

"Ladies, I believe we have some unfinished business to attend to." His eyes were ablaze with hatred as he aimed his gun at the two of them.

"Well, shit." Emma croaked.


	35. Chapter 35

Belle had finally gotten David to the truck when he began to come to. He was able to lean on her and collapse into the cab.

"Where's Emma?" His voice was sleepy and she could see his eyes weren't focused on her.

"Easy there sherriff. She's safe. Emma and Regina are right behind me." She looked over her shoulder toward the cave, hoping that just saying it would make it so. However the women didn't appear and Belle's anxiety grew.

David shifted on the seat, attempting to stand, but his shoes slipped on the gravel road."I'm going back in." He murmured but Belle put her hand on his shoulder to keep him seated.

"You've taken a rather nasty blow to the head. I don't think you should be trying to stumble through a dark mine right now." Belle felt the dried blood in her hair. "It seems that concussions are quite contagious today."

David didn't look amused. "Got to get Emma." She held him back again even though her own senses were telling her that something wasn't right. There hadn't been an explosion but Emma and Regina had not come out yet. Something was wrong.

"I'm just going to go in and bring them out. Wait here." She made sure that he looked at her and understood, he nodded that he would stay still. She gathered herself and jogged back into the cave.

"Will you just die already!" Regina spoke, clearly exasperated. "How many times are you going to keep coming back to torment us?"

"As many as it takes to kill you dearie." Gold looked completely unhinged now. There was a madness in his eyes that both women could see. He had gone off the deep end with his rage and was now insane with his hated for them. "You two have destroyed everything! My empire! My fortune! My son!"

"We didn't kill your son!" Emma spat back in anger and Regina placed a hand on her arm.

"Emma please. Don't antagonize him!"

"No! Fuck you Gold! Your son was shot by your own partner! And he wouldn't have been killed if you hadn't raised such a fucked up little maniac! He would have raped me if Regina hadn't stopped him! He was a monster that was raised by a monster!"

"You ruined my son!" Gold was nearly foaming at the mouth now. "If he had not been so infatuated with you he may have turned out differently!"

Regina scoffed. "Oh now it's Emma's fault? She was too attractive? You really are insane."

"And you two bitches are dead." He raised his gun. "You should have killed me when you had the chance. Now back up! To the elevator shaft!"

Gold motioned his gun in the direction he wanted them to move and both women reluctantly turned around.

"Emma.." Regina whispered to Emma and the blonde grasped Regina's hand tenderly.

"It'll be okay." Her voice was calming to Regina and the brunette exhaled.

"Isn't this touching." Gold sneered. "Now move!" They reached the door to the shaft, the women stood near the edge facing Gold and their backs to the dark hole below. "If you could only see your faces. The look of terror is just delicious." Immediately both women changed their expressions, exchanging fear for bravery. "Ah, now I get to see the brave, star crossed lovers who in spite of all the obstacles, found their way to each other." He gave them a sneering smile. "Pathetic."

Emma and Regina wrapped their hands together and chocolate brown looked deeply into sparkling green. When they turned back to Gold he could see the newfound resolve that the two women shared.

"You're right Robert." Regina held her head up high and spoke defiantly. "We have overcome obstacles to be together. You, my mother, your son. You all tried to keep us apart. But our love is stronger than that. It's stronger than any plot or dirty trick that you or any of your friends can think of. Our love is true and unbreakable."

"That's right." Emma seemed to grow an inch taller from the strength she was drawing from Regina. "And we have each other's back no matter what. Which is something you'll never have."

"You should always have someone watch your back." Belle's voice from behind startled him and he turned just enough to see her shove him hard from behind. She pushed with everything she had and Gold stumbled forward.

Emma pushed Regina to the side as they got out of the way of the stumbling Gold. They watched as Gold seemed to move in slow motion. He seemed to meet each of their eyes in the second that lasted forever. The madness and the anger inside him was on display as his face twisted into a mask of hate. He seemed to float in air as his feet hovered over the mine shaft. Then, a fraction of a second later, he disappeared from their sight down the dark whole. The three women hurried to the edge and looked into the darkness.

"Do you think he's okay?" Emma asked as she stared into the void. A moment later there was a sickening splat from below.

"I doubt it." Regina answered.


	36. Chapter 36

It was late. It had taken hours to get the police to the mine, then to get the bomb squad there to examine everything. After that was taken care of David and Belle both had to be checked out at the hospital. They were kept overnight for observation because they both had taken hard blows to the head.

Then Emma and Regina had to deal with Mary Margaret's questions, along with Cora, and Ruby. Everyone wanted to hear about what happened and how they managed to survive it all. After they both put Henry down for the night they were completely wiped out.

"I'm so tired, I don't think I'm going to be able to get to sleep." Emma rubbed her eyes and Regina chuckled tiredly. "See, you can't even laugh because you're so exhausted."

Regina stifled a yawn. "Well I think it's understandable considering the last twenty four hours."

"Yeah, I feel like I did an Iron Man marathon while playing Jeopardy. My brain _and_ body are both fried."

"Well, I don't ordinarily eat fried food but I am willing to make an exception." Regina lifted an eyebrow and Emma's jaw dropped. Regina laughed. "Don't worry, I'm too tired to jump your bones right now anyway." They stared at each other in silence for a moment before bursting out in laughter simultaneously. Their laughter continued unabated for at least two minutes until they had to stop and catch their breath and rest their sides.

"Oh my God Regina." Emma said as she rubbed her cheeks to wipe away the tears of laughter. "Can you believe this day?" Regina was out of breath but she nodded in agreement.

"I can honestly say that I have never dreamed of a day like this in my wildest dreams." Her broad grin slowly faded as the laughter left her eyes. "Do you know how many times I thought I lost you today?"

Emma nodded sadly. "I know Regina. There were way too many times where I thought I would never see you and Henry again. But it's over now."

Regina rested her head against the sofa she was sitting on. "Is it?" Her dark eyes met Emma's. "Is it really over?" Emma looked a little confused. "We have had something in the way of us being together ever since we were kids. I'm afraid to think that there are no longer any obstacles between us because I just can't take something else keeping us apart." Her eyes had become glassy and they tugged Emma out of the chair in front of her and to Regina's side. She pulled Regina to her side and the brunette rested her head on her shoulder. Emma entwined their fingers together.

"Yes." Emma raised their clasped hands to her lips and placed a tender kiss on the back of Regina's hand. "I really think so." Regina's eyes filled with tears and thick heavy ones rolled down her her cheeks. Emma's slender fingers gently wiped them away and watched Regina's smile spread all the way to her eyes.

"Oh my darling. I have waited so long for us to be together and to actually have it happen is just so overwhelming." Regina's voice cracked with emotion.

"We don't have to wait anymore." Emma's eyes drifted down to Regina's lips. Her fingers left the wet cheek of her lover and lightly brushed the scar on her upper lip and then softly caressed the perfectly painted lips. Regina closed her eyes and moaned softly.

"Oh get a room!" They turned at once to see Ruby grinning at them with her arms crossed. "I'm serious though, get a room at the inn. You guys deserve some alone time together tonight. Between Emma's mother and me, I think we can handle Henry for the night."

Emma and Regina shared a look and a smile. "You sure Rubes?" Emma asked but Ruby just laughed.

"Listen, if you two wait any longer I think both your panties are going to burst into flames." She snickered and Regina turned beet red.

"Ruby!" Emma said with mock outrage but smiled in spite of herself.

"Oh don't act like prudes! If anybody deserves to do the nasty for the next 24 hours, it's you two!" Ruby's smile softened and became sympathetic. "I'm serious guys. You two are way overdue for this. Go. Be together. We got this."

Regina's eyebrows furrowed. "Are you sure Ruby? Everything is a mess."

"Exactly! The town's a mess and now is the perfect time for you two to get lost before people start thinking up things for you to do!" The redhead joked. The couple looked at each other, Emma shrugged and smiled.

"Um, that actually sounds like a good idea." She looked at Regina and watched as a smile began to form on her lips.

"I could use a good night's sleep." Regina said with a raised eyebrow and a mischievous look in her eye. That was all the encouragement that Emma needed. Before Regina could blink, Emma was pulling her by the hand off the couch and toward the door.

"Emma!" Regina laughed. "Can we at least say goodnight to our son first?" Emma blushed.

"Oh shit! I forgot about the kid!" Regina placed a forgiving hand on the blonde's cheek.

"Don't give it another thought dear. It's been a long day."

Emma grinned and leaned into Regina's hand and kissed it. Quietly they made their way to the room of Ruby's home that had been turned into a makeshift nursery. They stood side by side looking into the crib at the brown haired bundle sleeping peacefully.

"I fall in love with him more every time I see him." Emma whispered.

"He looks just like you my darling." Regina leaned her head on Emma's shoulder.

Emma shook her head. "Sometimes I just can't believe he's ours. Our little baby boy." Regina placed her hands on Emma's cheeks and turned her head to face her. Dark chocolate eyes were hooded with desire.

"I need you Emma." Her voice was husky. "Now." That was all it took. Soon Emma was dragging Regina past a giggling Ruby and out the door. They hopped into Ruby's car and headed to the small inn on the edge of town. Before Regina could say a word, Emma had paid for the room, grabbed the keys and was pulling her to the room. Emma worked the key in the lock frantically, all the while Regina looked on and felt her heart flutter in anticipation. The door opened and closed in an instant, suddenly Emma was pushed against the closed door, caught in a passionate kiss from Regina.

Their tongues battled for dominance as their hands grabbed and pulled at their coats. With a moan, Emma relented and allowed Regina's tongue to slide deep into her mouth. The temperature of the room seemed to increase as they fumbled with their clothes. Finally they shook their coats off and allowed them to fall to the ground in front of the door. Emma spun Regina around and pushed her against the door this time. The brunette gasped in surprise and let out a sensual groan as Emma moved to her neck and sucked on her pulse point.

"Oh Emma." Regina breathlessly whispered. Emma kissed the spot on her neck softly and trailed little kisses up until she reached her ear lobe. She licked the lobe lightly and Regina shivered as the contact raised goosebumps on her skin. Emma raised Regina's hands above her head and pressed their palms together as she pressed their bodies against the door. Regina lifted her leg and slid it up and down Emma's.

Emma inhaled the scent of Regina's thick dark hair and sighed into the fragrance of apples. Regina tried to press her hips even closer to Emma's and groaned her frustration from not getting the contact she craved. Emma moved back and watched the pout form on the velvety smooth lips of the other woman. Emma grinned as she backed away from the door still clasping both of Regina's hands. When Regina saw that she was being led toward the bed she began smiling as well. When the back of Emma's legs touched the bed, Regina couldn't hold her desire back any longer and pushed the blonde down onto the bed.

She watched as Regina stood over her and the view made her chest rise and fall rapidly. The tension in her core was driving her crazy and the sight of Regina standing over her was so erotic that she thought she was dreaming. Regina unbuttoned her blouse swiftly and began to pull it off when Emma shot back up and started working on Regina's skirt.

Passion and hunger overtook Emma. Thoughts rushed into her mind, thoughts that had been suppressed for years. This was Regina Mills! She was about to make love to Regina Mills! She was almost dizzy thinking about how long she had dreamed of, wished for, fantasized about this moment. She hiked Regina's skirt up to her hips and pulled down the black laced thong underneath until it hung between her knees.

Regina's eyebrows raised at the urgency, then she succumbed to the passion as well and pulled Emma up by her shirt. Her hands flew and in an instant she had unbuckled and unzipped Emma's jeans. She slid her hand into Emma's panties at the same moment that the blonde's hand entered hers. Their eyes locked on each other as their hands touched burning cores for the first time. Their breath intermingled as their passion built up between them.

"Oh my God Regina." Emma's fingers danced over Regina's manicured mound and felt like she couldn't catch her breath. With a shaking finger she touched Regina's lower lips and moaned as she felt the wetness that was practically streaming out. Her finger slid in easily and was met by a hungry grunt from Regina. Regina needed more and pushed forward.

"Please Emma." She whispered. "I need..oh." Listening to her lover Emma slid another finger inside and began to pump them in and out. "Oh God yes Emma! Yes!" Regina nearly cried from the feeling and pushed her hand further into Emma's pants. Her fingers slid into Emma slick folds and began to pump furiously.

Soon both women matched their rhythm and hips bucked and fingers pumped in unison. They both felt the climax coming quickly and both pushed each other closer and closer.

"Come with me Regina. Come with me." Emma panted.

"Oh God yes! Yes Emma!" She shouted as the crest began to like a dam bursting they both clenched and went rigid for an instant then exploded into each other's hands.

"Fuck! Fuck! Regina! Fuck!" Emma's eyes were squeezed shut as she yelled in ecstasy.

Regina couldn't form coherent words and just moaned in the delicious pleasure of her orgasm.

They supported each other on shaky legs and touched their lips together softly in the hot room.

Once they had caught their breath the both shared a laugh.

"Wow." Emma whispered. "That was fast." Regina laughed lightly.

" _That_ was over a decade of waiting dear." Regina kissed Emma's flushed cheek. "And don't worry about how fast that was my love." Their eyes met and Regina gave Emma a sensual wink. "We have all night."


	37. Chapter 37

**A/N: This chapter is a little longer but I wanted to reward you all. I know that you have been waiting forever for this moment ever since this story started. Thank you for sticking with me after all this time! More to come soon!**

"I could use a shower." Emma said as they both lay on the bed, clothes halfway off and sweating. Regina had her head on Emma's chest and her eyes were closed. She sniffed and curled the side of her mouth in a grin.

"Yes, you could."

Emma's mouth flew open in mock outrage. "Why you little brat!" Emma tickled Regina and soon the brunette was laughing.

"Emma!" Regina caught her breath as Emma relented. "Well, what did you expect me to do? Lie?"

"Can I expect this level of honesty from you from now on?"

Regina moved her head until she was looking up at Emma with her chin nestled on the blonde's breast. "Always." Her brown eyes communicated the truth behind her words and it filled Emma with a feeling of safety.

"I love you Regina."

"I love you too Emma." Regina smiled and kissed Emma's chest. "Now let's go get you cleaned up?" She stood up and held her hand out for Emma.

" _Let's?_ " Emma raised an eyebrow. "Are you helping me?"

"Of course dear." Regina said cooly as if she had just agreed to make a pot of tea. "I have to make sure you do it right. I'm going to make sure to wash every last inch of you."

Emma licked her lips and eagerly took Regina's hand. The brunette walked her to the en suite while Emma grinned from ear to ear. Regina began taking off her clothes and Emma attempted to mirror her but couldn't contain her excitement so she began pulling at her clothes like a maniac. As Regina began to unhook her bra she laughed at the sight of Emma desperately trying to step out of her skinny jeans that were hanging around her ankles while her shirt was over her head with her arms in the air.

"Emma, relax." Regina helped the shirt of Emma's head and was greeted with the wide green eyes of her lover. "No need to rush dear, I'm not going anywhere." Regina kissed her softly on the lips while Emma wrapped her freed arms around her and pulled her closer.

"Regina, I have had so many dreams about this moment. I want to make sure I get the most out of it before I wake up."

"This isn't a dream my dear, this is real. You and I are real." They kissed again, a soft and deep kiss that didn't stop until their lungs screamed for air. "Mmmm, I could kiss you forever Emma Swan Nolan."

"If you did we would never get in the shower." Emma joke and Regina turned the water on.

"When you're right you're right Miss Swan." Regina smile was sensual and full of lust for the blonde. Emma closed her eyes and hummed.

"You're the only one in the world who calls me by my middle name." She moved within a hair's breadth of the brunette. "It's so sexy and I love it."

"You're sexy." Regina insisted. "Your emerald eyes have had me mesmerized my whole life. I can't remember a time when I wasn't in love with you Emma."

Tears flooded her eyes and threatened to fall as Emma smiled. "Regina, your love means everything to me. You have been the other half of my heart forever and I finally feel whole being with you."

Regina's eyes shined with tears of love as well and her voice was heavy with emotion. "We should get in this shower before I throw you down on the bathroom floor and have my way with you right now."

"Um, yes please!" Emma squealed in excitement as the hot water hit her bare flesh. Regina ducked under the spray to wet her hair and Emma took in her first real look of the woman completely naked.

Emerald eyes slowly took in the beautiful woman before her. She started at her feet and worked her way up. Taking in Regina's calves, athletic without being too defined, designed to look perfect in any dress or completely bare. From there were her thighs that rose to shapely hips and an ass that defied gravity where the bottom of her buttocks curved up and rose to the sky. Emma could tell that this woman did squats regularly and couldn't wait to feel the cheeks in her hands. Up the small of her back, Emma's eyes traced the perfect lines and the soft curves of the woman's muscles to her shoulders. Regina's arms were fit and tight and Emma watched as they flexed while fingers swept through wet jet black hair.

Feeling eyes on her Regina glanced over her shoulder and smiled as she caught Emma practically salivating. She turned and held out her hand for Emma to take. "Come here my dear." Regina's voice was husky with want. "I want to wash you." The way she said it made Emma's cure tighten and she could feel her desire coating the inside of her thighs. This woman could get her wet just by using her voice, Emma thought.

Regina took Emma's arm and gently moved the lufa over her skin. Emma shivered as she watched Regina's eyes take their time as she appeared to be memorizing every inch of pale and supple skin.

Regina soaped up Emma's strong shoulders and hummed hungrily as she felt the blonde's toned muscles. Water poured down Emma's chest and down her cleavage and Regina's breath hitched as she saw Emma's pert breasts and erect pink nippples. She couldn't help herself and lowered herself to take a nipple into her mouth and suck.

"Oh God." Emma moaned as she felt Regina's tongue circling her hard tip. Emma's core was blazing and felt like she was wound up like a top. Her eyes descended and rested on Regina sucking her nipple and their eyes met. Emma had never seen something as hot as the brunette mayor with her breast in her mouth and her dark eyes looking up at her. "Regina." Emma breathed her name as her temperature began to rise. Emma pulled Regina's face up to hers and kissed her deeply, her tongue plunged hungrily inside. She couldn't get enough and was going insane with lust. She broke the kiss suddenly and looked into Regina's eyes.

"I need to taste you." Emma groaned with need, she could feel her essence coating the inside of her thighs mixing with the water from the shower. "Now."

Regina nodded her head vigorously; she was dizzy with her own hunger to be closer to her blonde lover. Emma turned off the shower and pulled Regina out by the hand and led her from the en suite into the bedroom. They fell onto the bed together, neither caring about the sheets getting wet.

Emma rolled Regina onto her back and pressed both their naked and wet bodies together. Her long golden hair hung down around Regina's face and seemed to frame her with a golden halo.

"You're so beautiful." Emma's breath was taken away by the glistening brunette below her.

"As are you my dear." Regina smiled up to her lover. The feelings, the passion, the ecstasy and join that passed between them was nearly tangible in the small bedroom. It filled the four walls and threatened to blow out the windows and doors, so strong was their combined love for each other. For so long it had been held back and blocked. But now like a dam breaking, their love was finally free and the power of the emotions they shared nearly overwhelmed them both.

"I need to taste you Regina."

Regina's lips parted and she moaned her agreement. "Please, my love. I need you." Emma planted oft kisses down Regina's neck and chest; reaching Regina's cleavage, Emma couldn't help but to palm one of her breasts and gently suck an erect, dark nipple into her mouth. Regina's chest rose and fell rapidly as she grew more and more excited while Emma continued to travel down her stomach and kiss her navel. Emma reached Regina's pelvis and nibbled the brunette's hip bone causing an increasingly frustrated Regina to squirm under her. Emma smiled as she hovered over Regina's core for a moment. She inhaled the smell of her love's essence and the tension inside her grew even more. She settled her head in between two soft thighs, kissing the inside of each almost painfully slow.

"Please Emma!" Regina's hips began to rise again and again, attempting to move closer to Emma's mouth. Emma looked up and enjoyed the sight of the woman she loved becoming undone from anticipation. Regina's mouth hung open and her eyes were closed tight and Emma knew she couldn't tease her anymore even if she wanted to, her own thighs were now slick with her desire.

Savoring one more deep inhale of Regina, Emma let her tounge slide lazily over slick folds. Regina shivered at the feeling while Emma took her time enjoying all of her lover's juices that had leaked outside. Fireworks went off inside Emma as she tasted Regina for the first time. She decided right there and then between her lover's legs that she had never tasted something so delicious in her life and she knew that she would never ever get enough of it.

"God Regina, you taste soooo good." Emma looked up and was treated with the sight of the brunette writhing in ecstasy. She plunged her tongue in between the hot wet folds and moaned as her mouth nearly filled with warm fluid. Slowly she twirled her tongue around the walls, enjoying the fact that she was finally getting the opportunity to explore every inch of Regina. She lightly touched Regina's greedy nub and the other woman's back arched telling Emma that Regina was nearing the brink and wouldn't be able to last much longer. Two of her long fingers slid in easily as she began her work on Regina's clit.

"Fuuuuuck! Em-ma!" Regina shouted to release some of the tension inside her that wanted so badly to explode outward. Emma began thrusting in and out with her fingers and working Regina's clit with her tongue. "Oh Emma! I'm going to come, I'm going to come, I'm going to come." That was the signal for Emma to put it into overdrive. Her fingers were slamming in and out of Regina and her tongue was flicking and madly working her clit. Regina climaxed immediately and the wave broke over her with a feeling of complete pleasure that she had never felt before in her life. Emma let her ride it out while she swallowed her reward and watched the brunette arch her back again and again on the bed. After a few moments Regina was seeing stars and trying to catch her breath. Emma reluctantly left her new favorite place in the world, her head in between Regina's legs, and slid up to lie side by side with the brunette. She listened to Regina hum her feeling of contentment as the brunette kept her brown eyes closed. Eventually she opened them and met the green eyes that looked back at her with so much love.

"I could do that forever." Emma whispered.

"I could let you." Regina responded. She placed a hand on Emma's cheek and kissed her, tasting herself for the first time on Emma's lips. Once the kiss ended she looked at Emma with a bit of nervousness in her voice. "My turn?"


	38. Chapter 38

Emma raised a dark blonde eyebrow in confusion. "You okay Regina?" She watched as uncertainty slowly replaced the afterglow in Regina's chocolate eyes. Water started pooling, making brown eyes glassy. "Hey." Emma took Regina's hand from her cheek and held it gently in her own. "Regina what's wrong?" Her concern was evident in her tone.

Regina's bottom lip began to tremble slightly. She opened her mouth to speak but then closed it and shut her eyes causing a lone tear to roll down her cheek. Emma brushed it away with her thumb and waited for Regina to speak. Whatever was going on, Emma didn't want to push it. She would let Regina tell her in her own time.

"I-I've never…" Regina began slowly. Emma saw the olive skinned cheeks flush red. "Emma, you're the only woman that… I mean I've never… what if I?" Emma smiled as she began to realize what was bothering her.

"This is your first time with a woman and you don't know if you can go down on me." Emma said bluntly and Regina chuckled through her tears.

"You don't beat around the bush do you?"

"I thought I just proved that I did."

Regina couldn't help but laugh aloud at Emma's statement and the blonde smiled as she could see the pressure being lifted off her love. Regina playfully shoved Emma's shoulder. "You're so bad."

"That's why you love me." Emma winked and gave Regina a peck on the lips. "Regina, I understand, this is new to you and it's okay to be nervous. And if you're not ready, that's okay too."

"Emma, I want you. Every part of you, I want to love you fully." Regina took a deep breath. "But I don't have a lot of sexual experience. I've only had sex with Robin once and we both agreed that it wasn't right."

"So, you're kind of like a virgin." Emma smiled. "That makes this even more special." She kissed Regina lightly on the lips. "But if you're not ready-" Regina interrupted her by placing a finger on her lips.

"I do Emma. I just don't know if I'll be any good. What if I can't make you.. You know."

"Come?" Emma replied and Regina nodded. "Regina, you can make me come just by looking at me. If you are down there I guarantee there will be fireworks." Emma's words reassured Regina and helped to settle her nerves. Emma had an idea, she used her long fingers and dipped them inside her own wet folds and coated them with her essence. She raised her fingers to Regina's lips who was raising an eyebrow at Emma's actions. "Open." Emma whispered.

Regina could smell Emma on the fingers and felt a tug inside her. She parted her lips and allowed Emma to slide her fingers into her mouth. Regina closed her mouth around the fingers and slowly licked them clean. The taste was out of this world and Regina's eyes rolled up into her skull. She hummed and was instantly hungry for more. Emma's lips curled in a smile as she watched Regina's expression change from nervousness to wanton lust.

"More." Regina breathed.

Emma's lips brushed against Regina's. "Come and get it." With a growl Regina moved down Emma's body. It was a mix of passion and determination that propelled her down to Emma's hips until she hovered over Emma and beheld a sight that sent a surge through her whole body.

Emma felt Regina's warm breath over her throbbing area and goose bumps spread over her flesh. Tentatively Regina touched her lips to Emma's lower lips and practically melted inside. Her nervousness fled and was replaced by a hunger for more. Her lips pressed her kiss harder against Emma and she heard a moan of pleasure in response. Slowly her tongue crept out from Regina's parted lips, exploring. The exquisite taste of Emma was unlike anything she had ever dreamed of. She felt like she had been shot from a cannon; the feeling was so exhilarating. Regina lapped hungrily at Emma's lower lips, licking, sucking and moaning all the way.

Emma grabbed the back of Regina's head and clamped her thighs around Regina. Her hips bucked up and down on the bed rapidly. "Fuck! Regina! Holy shit!" Regina's tongue found Emma's clit and began to flick the tip onto the excited nub. Emma didn't try to hold back the orgasm that exploded out of her. Her juices filled Regina's mouth and coated her chin as it ran down her lips. She held her mouth there as she let Emma ride out the waves of pleasure that flowed from her body. Regina finally slid back up the bed to lie shoulder to shoulder with Emma.

For a while the only sound heard in the room was Emma's heavy breathing. Regina watched the blonde's chest rise and fall, her eyes drawn to the hard pink nipples of her lover. Sweat glistened on Emma and her pale green eyes blinked open as she glanced over to Regina.

"Wow." She breathed. "You sure you've never done that before? Because that was just-wow." Regina's smile lit up her face as she beamed at Emma's compliment. The fact that someone cared for her so deeply and that she could please that person had been unknown to her in the past, But now that person was there six inches away from her and was looking at her with so much love. It was almost too much for her to take.

"I want to make you feel like that everyday for the rest of our lives."

"I'm okay with that." Emma grinned from ear to ear, lighting up her entire face. Regina snuggled into Emma's side and rested her head on the blonde's warm breasts. Emma put her arm around her and kissed the top of Regina's dark brown hair. In moments heavy eyelids surrendered and both women slipped into a content and deep sleep.

The morning sun was shining right on Emma's face and with a frown and a squint they forced her eyelids open. She stretched her arm out and didn't feel Regina. For a frightful moment she was convinced that it was all just a wonderful dream and Regina was never there. Then she heard the sound of water running from the shower in the en suite. She breathed a sigh of relief and smiled broadly. It wasn't a dream, Regina was here, they were together now, together in every possible way.

The sound of the running shower stopped and Emma waited in giddy anticipation for the door to open. She didn't have long to wait as the door opened and out walked Regina wearing only a bath towel. Emma's jaw dropped as she took in the beautiful brunette's angelic form. Brunette hair that was usually styled to perfection was drying in soft carefree curls that Emma found extremely sexy. She knew she had to get Regina to wear her hair like that more often. Regina's fresh tan skin was practically calling out to Emma and she wanted to jump off the bed and touch the woman all over.

Just then Regina felt Emma looking at her. She met the green eyes with flakes of gold inside and smiled. "See something you like?" She asked coyly. Emma rose from the bed, completely naked, and wrapped Regina up in her arms.

"No. I see something I love." Regina's cheeks flushed at the words of her lover.

"As much as I want to spend the rest of the day in this room with you we have a lot of work to do." She gave Emma a quick peck on her smiling, thin lips.

"I don't want to go back to reality yet." Emma whined.

"Well, my love, there is much we have to do to clean up this mess that Gold left us."

Emma sighed in exasperation. "I guess I better shower then." As Emma walked toward the ensuite Regina playfully swatted Emma on her naked buttocks and winked at her. "You are bad madam mayor." Emma chuckled.

Regina lowered her voice and gave Emma a smoldering look that dripped with animal attraction. "You have no idea."


	39. Chapter 39

Regina pulled up to Ruby's house and stopped the car. "Well, back to reality I guess." She sighed making Emma chuckle.

"Oh, it's not that bad babe." Emma put a comforting hand on Regina's shoulder. "We did the hard part already." Regina gave her a small smile.

"I suppose you're right my dear." They exited the car and walked hand and hand up to Ruby's doorway. The front door opened and Ruby had an ear to ear grin on her face.

"Well look who decided to come up for air!" Ruby's joke caused Regina to flush in embarrassment

"Ruby!" Emma snapped back and Ruby chuckled.

"Oh calm down Ems, I thought sex was supposed to relax people." Ruby grabbed Emma by the shoulder and pulled her into the home, dragging Regina as well whose hand was still clasped with the blonde's. "Hey everyone! The love birds are back!"

Emma and Regina were led into the kitchen and both women could not believe their eyes. The kitchen was filled with their families and friends all having breakfast. David got up from his chair and went over to give Emma a huge hug.

"Dad are you okay?" David nodded.

"Just fine sweetheart, just a headache." Mary Margaret rolled up next to them in her chair beaming up at her daughter.

"Well we all knew that David's head was hard, we just didn't know how hard until now."

"I'm just happy that you're okay." Emma punctuated it with a kiss on her father's cheek. Regina's eyes drifted over to her mother who was seated at the table with Victoria Belfry. Cora's eyes seemed like they were searching Regina's for something. Perhaps forgiveness she surmised.

"So now that you two have had your romantic rendezvous, it's time to get back to work. This town is a mess." Ruby stated.

"Can we see our kid and maybe get a cup of coffee first before you dump all this shit on us?" Emma asked. Mary Margaret nodded.

"I was just about to go get him." Regina held her hand up.

"Oh no need, we can do it. We want to say good morning to our baby." She smiled and held Emma's hand as they walked up the stairs to the makeshift nursery. Everyone watched as they left the room.

"Oh my God, how cute are they?" Ruby said as soon as the two were out of earshot. Mary Margaret's smile lit up the whole room.

"It is just so nice to see those two finally get together without someone working to keep them apart." Her smile faded as an awkward silence filled the room. Mary Margaret was confused as to what had happened when she heard David clear his throat. She watched as his eyes shot over to Cora and his wife's mouth formed an 'o' when she caught on to what she said and who was in the room. Cora's face flushed and she hung her head in shame. "I mean, uh that….." Mary Margaret looked at David for help but he shrugged helplessly.

"Its okay Mary Margaret." Cora finally broke the awkward silence. "I know what I did and I just hope that someday they will forgive me for causing them so much pain." Ruby crossed her arms and scowled at Cora.

"Not good enough lady." Everyone turned to Ruby in shock. "No, I'm sorry isn't good enough. You tortured them for years! They could have been together a long time ago if it hadn't been for you! You can take your sorrys and stick 'em up your ass! Regina is your daughter and I wouldn't treat my worst enemy the way you did her!"

All eyes turned to Cora and Victoria spoke. "Look, I understand that what Cora did in the past was horrible. But the woman she is now-" Cora held up a hand to stop Victoria and then gently placed that hand on top of Victoria's.

"It's all right Victoria." Cora smiled with watery eyes at the other woman. "She's right." She turned to everyone in the room. "It is my fault and there is no excuse for what I did." An uncomfortable silence hung in the air. "I had been forced to hide who I was when I was a child. I denied my truth and when I saw that Regina was gay I reacted horribly. I was jealous of how she was proud of who she was. I wanted her to be ashamed like my parents made me feel." Her statement was met with silence. "I will try to make it up to Regina everyday for the rest of my life. I want to be a mother that will make her daughter proud."

Unknown to everyone else, Emma and Regina had been standing at the top of the stairs with baby Henry listening. Emma was caring the now awake baby and bouncing him gently in her arms as she looked, wide-eyed, at Regina. The brunette woman had her arms crossed with a look on her face that Emma tried to read. Her face was turned away, toward the conversation downstairs. Without looking at Emma and Henry, Regina started down the stairs with her back straight and her held high.

The conversation died abruptly as all eyes turned to Regina and Emma as they entered the room. Regina's eyes were focused on her mother while everyone else nervously looked to Emma who stood wide eyed and waiting.

"You have a lot to make up for _mother_." Regina's eyes blazed. "A whole hell of a lot."


End file.
